There is no question that the heavy fuel load in Victoria’s forests was caused by the stopping of controlled burnoffs by some Victorian councils. The Green movement is blamed for the severity of these fires through their opposition to prescribed burning. (The Australian,12.2.09,p.2.)
David Packham,a former supervising meteorologist for fire weather nation wide,said,“environmentalists politically successful campaign to stop controlled burning of vegetation allowed the Black Saturday fires to rage uncontrollably,the green movement is directly responsible for the severity of these fires through their opposition to prescribed burning.”
Mr Packham said,“Elements of the movement are behaving like eco-terrorists waging jihad against prescribed burning.”
The Greens never give up,The Australian,12.2.09,p.1.,“Burnoffs a threat to biodiversity”. Peter Garrett Enviromental Minister will be asked next year to decide whether prescribed burning to reduce fuel loads puts plants and animals at risk.
A Department of Environment,Water,Heritage and Arts Spokeswoman confirmed yesterday it had received a public submission to list controlled burning as a “key threatening process —the same category that applies to climate change,land clearing and feral cats,pigs and foxes.”
The answer to these people is simple,houses in shires where there is no controlled burning would void their insurance and receive no government rebuilding money,No attempt should be made to put fires out in these areas. No man or woman should be asked to risk his or her life for anothers environmental pleasure.
