The burn legacy: why the science on hazard reduction is contested

When it comes to reducing the extent of bushfires, scientists disagree on the best way to do it. Hazard-reduction burning (also known as “prescribed burning” or “controlled burning”) is controversial and, depending on the scientific paper, it’s shown to either be effective or not work at all.

When conditions are safe, the CFA burns vegetation
 to remove fuel which in turn mitigates fire risk. 

Hazard-reduction burning is the process of removing vegetation that would fuel a fire – the “hazard” – through burning, slashing or grazing. It’s one of the ways state governments try to prepare for looming bushfire seasons. 

The Climate Council published a fact sheet in January this year titled “Setting the record straight on hazard reduction”. It concluded that, while important, in future “no amount of hazard reduction will protect human lives, animals and properties from catastrophic fires”. 

But this is at odds with empirical studies in Victoria and Western Australia, which found otherwise, after taking a wider view on the issue. 

Read the story from The Conversation by Kevin Tolhurst - “The burn legacy: why the science on hazard reduction is contested.

Fire, climate change and prescribed burning: What do the experts have to say?

As flames destroyed lives and homes in recent days, there's been a lot of debate about past fires, finger-pointing over prescribed burning, questioning the influence of climate change, or if indeed it was the right time to be talking about it at all.

But what do scientists have to say? 

Ross Bradstock, a bushfire risk management expert at the University of Wollongong, did not mince words when asked about the current fires.

"We are now in uncharted territory," he said. 

"We've gone over the one-million-hectare mark at least for the forests and the plants in the eastern part of NSW — this is unprecedented." 

Of course fires have happened before, but Dr Bradstock said the 2019-20 fire season in New South Wales had already exceeded the infamous major fire periods of January 1994 and Christmas 2001.

With summer still to come, and given the current forecast and outlook, things aren't looking good. 

Read the ABC News story by Kate Doyle - “Fire, climate change and prescribed burning: What do the experts have to say?”