The Snowies
Fires 2003 | Bushwalks | Ferals
Contrary to what the press reported, and what the old cattlemen of the Snowies would have you believe, the Snowy Mountains were not utterly destroyed by the bushfires that affected the Park over January and February of 2003. As one who has the privilige to work in the area as well as having undertaken undertaken many walks and skis in the area, it can be stated that the pattern of burning throughout the park has been a mosaic of fires of varying intensities.
Yes there have been areas that have been hit extremely hard (Click here to see impact on Wragges Creek area)by the fires but there are also many areas that look as if a low level hazard reduction has gone through - the forest canopy is still green from afar and it is not until you are up close you realise that theres been a fire (Click here to see area west of Perisher). In fact the roof of Australia near Mt Koscziuosko is untouched, from the Charlottes Pass lookout there would be a small spot on Mt Tate of a couple of acres that burnt.
Here's another point ot consider - there were areas burnt by wildfire, but there were also areas deliberately lit by the fire agencies in backburning operations to set up buffers - a common practice in many fire scenarios. So you also have to look at the area burnt and ask yourself what percentage of the park was burnt by man and how much was he able to control it once he had put the backburn lines in! Under the conditions these would have often become hot burns themselves in many instances.
Already green growth is returning to the park, snow gums are sprouting new growth from the base and epicormic growth from other species has commenced (much of this latter growth commenced within a week of the fires and rain was needed to trigger it - it happened as part of the natural cycle!)
The statement of 'destruction of the park' is based on a mentality of not understanding the complex ecology of the park and fires. For some reasons humans seem to believe that if they had a presence then the catastrophe would have been averted or greatly reduced! In some instances this might have some auspice of truth but it is also true that continued human presecence in such areas can also introduce many other problems. Studies of Melbourne water catchments have shown that where human access is restricted or prevented then the incidence of fires is greatly reduced. It must be admitted though that management to prevent fires in such areas can contribute to to greater intensity fire incidents when they occur, often at the time of severe weather conditions.
Consider this scenario: A local bushfire brigade is charged with fire prevention in a section of national park. At any sign of smoke in the park in warm weather or when conditions predict the potential for fire activity the brigade is dispatched to investigate the incident. If a fire is found it is quickly extinguished limiting the extent of fire burnt to often an acre or two. Whether the fire is natural (following a dry thunderstorm) or not the brigade limits its effect. At the same time preparations are being made for a major hazard reduction but it keeps getting put off due to unsatisfactory wearther conditions (either too damp or too dry!) This combination of reaction to extinguish any small fire and inability to conduct a major reduction gradually allow buildup of fuel in the rest of the park - Catch-22 is occurring! By acting to prevent the 'incident' fires burning a bit longer and take out larger areas and trying to manage hazard reductions for when conditions are favourable - human management actually contributes to the problem! Perhaps if the 'incident' fires had been allowed to burn to natural or man made barriers then a more natural burning regime might occur in the park, contributing to an overall 'more natural' burning strategy. Obviously natural systems cannot be predicted easily and there is an element of risk in this approach but does this element of risk outweigh the element of risk involved with human management of the park as outlined above?
While passing through Kiandra one afternoon in May a wild dog was seen to the north of the highway. I caught some images of the dog which appeared to be a cross between Dingo and German Shepherd.
Bike and Walk - April 05. A trip around Cooleman Plain with brother in law Rob.