sustainable forest management - Forestry Tasmania

Wildfires
A wildfire is an unplanned fire and is also known as a
bushfire. Wildfires have many causes, some natural such
as lightning and some as a result of human activity such as
campfires, escapes from planned burning operations, and
some from deliberate arson. Wildfires are highly variable
in intensity and duration and this is determined by the
interaction of weather conditions, topography, fuel load,
type and arrangement. An effective and coordinated
approach to wildfire suppression and fire protection
planning requires close liaison and working arrangements
with other emergency and support services. Forestry
Tasmania has a close working relationship with the
Tasmania Fire Service, Parks and Wildlife Service and forest
industry companies.
The hot weather conditions in 2007/08 were similar in
many ways to the 2006/07 season. During the 2007/08 fire
season, there were 42 days on which fire weather warnings
were required, and five days of total fire ban were declared.
8496 ha was burnt in unplanned fires of which 5551
hectares was classified as having severe fire damage (Figure
24).
Significant wildfires during the 2007/08 season included:
• A lightning strike on the Packers Spur in the Southwest
National Park started a large fire, which threatened
commercial forest in the Mt Wedge and Florentine
Valley areas.
• A fire that started at Ericksons Rd, seven kilometres
west of St Helens threatened both the town and state
forest until contained. The incident management team
•
appointed to deal with this fire was preparing to close
down when it was asked to take charge of a second fire
lit south of Bellingham on 16 January. This fire burnt
• A fire at Heemskirk Road started as a signal fire lit after
a vehicle accident in the Arthur-Pieman Conservation
and threatened state forest in Murchison District.
for several days, threatening state forest and nearby
grazing properties
Two fires at Wilsons Creek Tarraleah and Long Spur
Forestry Tasmania is pro-active in attempting to reduce the
area burnt and severity of fire damage on land for which
it is responsible. Forestry Tasmania works in cooperation
Wayatinah were started by lightning and threatened
with other fire management agencies through a program
commercial forest, grazing land and electricity
of hazard reduction, training, communication, education on
transmission lines.
the use of fire, and prosecutions for the illegal or negligent
use of fire.
Figure Figure 24. 24. Area Area of of State state forest burnt burnt by by wildfire wildfire
Total area (hectares)
40,000
12,000
35,000
10,000
30,000
8,000
25,000
20,000
6,000
15,000
4,000
10,000
2,000
5,000
0
0
2001/02 2003/04 2005/06 2007/08
Total unplanned fires (ha) Severe fire damage (ha)
Total 10-year average (ha) Severe 10-year average (ha)
Severely burnt area (hectares)