CONTROLLED BURNS: The Department of Sustainability and Environment is planning more controlled burns and other fire prevention works as soon as the weather permits.

Fuel reduction across the North East area

Written by RICHARD JAGO.

THE Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) plans to hold community meetings across the North East throughout August to share its plans for burning and other fire prevention works with the community.

North East land and fire area manager, Peter Farrell, said every year DSE and Parks Victoria plan fire operations for Victoria’s public land, parks, forests and reserves.

"These plans show where we intend to carry out burning and other fire prevention works such as slashing and mowing over the coming three years," Mr Farrell said.

"We want everyone to have a chance to hear about and understand our plans, as well as provide feedback."

While planned burning on its own cannot stop a fire completely, it is a valuable tool in reducing the intensity of a bushfire and the risk that fires threaten homes and lives.

District manager Goulburn district, David Wells, said the fire operations plan would be available on the DSE website in early August, giving details of planned burns and maps.

Mr Wells said the DSE was concentrating on areas not impacted by recent bushfires - for example in the Strathbogies - and had also carried out some strategic slashing at Sawmill Settlement.

The organisation had also spent time improving the track network to facilitate access and reduce the vulnerability of infrastructure such as wooden bridges.

"We didn’t burn as much last autumn as we planned because of the weather and other factors," Mr Wells said.

"And our burn targets for spring involve smaller, strategic locations.