A NEW study, recently published in Nature.com found landscape spatial patterns and fire weather drove the severity of the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, not past timber harvesting, and has been welcomed by the professional association representing some 1,000 scientific and professional forest land managers in Australia.
The Institute of Foresters of Australia and Australian Forest Growers president, Bob Gordon, said the study, which identified that ‘The severity and extent of the Australia 2019–20 Eucalyptus forest fires are not the legacy of forest management’, highlights the need for new ways of thinking about how Australia manages the risk of bushfires.
“There’s no doubt Australia has a wicked bushfire problem. There is no quick fix to this problem, however active and adaptive forest management, across all land tenures is paramount to ensuring our forests are resilient to fire in the future,” Mr Gordon said.
“Active and adaptive land management across all land tenures, long-term thinking and the use of a range of techniques informed by the latest science and long-held cultural knowledge from Traditional Owners is what’s needed to make sure we can mitigate devastation such as that seen in 2019-20.
“We also need to establish new shared governance models and an approach to policy that brings together government agencies with Indigenous Australians and stakeholders from the private sector and civil society across all tenures.
“Through these strategies, we can conserve forests for a broader range of values, and proactively manage current pressures and increasing threats from climate change and the interrelated impacts of bushfires and invasive species.
