Fire is a common occurrence in Australia due to climates that include both wet seasons where a lot of vegetation grows and a dry, hot season where fires can occur. Each year and average around 54,000 fires occur. Control burning is a key strategy used to limit the impact of bushfires. Control burning (also known as prescribed burning because a prescription is needed to be followed) dates back to the olden days when traditional fire application was used to ‘renew” farmlands and hunting grounds. It is important to manage control burning to avoid risking lives and property. This paper examines whether control burning should be used as a management tool including identifying the dangers involved and what other strategies can be used.
My research …show more content…
Fire needs three conditions if it is to occur. One is oxygen, the second is heat and the third is fuel. Control burning is technique used to manage bushfire risk.
The purpose is to reduce the level of vegetation fuel through burning an area under controlled conditions and to lower the risk of uncontrolled destructive fire as fuel is the only condition that it is possible to really control. It is a process of planning and applying fire in a defined and bound area under specific environmental conditions, to reduce the fire fuel. During the process of control burning it is important that the fire must move with wind (heading fire), against the wind (backing fire) or at the right angle to the wind (flanking fire).
According to Australian Parks and wildlife, scientific research shows that controlled burning is a very effective management tool. They defended their statement with the proof of the 2011 Perth bushfire where it would have been worse but if it wasn’t limited by prior controlled burning.
During control burning process careful instructions needs to be followed:
(See figure 3 for the full process full fire management process under the government of South …show more content…
Control burning can have short and long term effects on the environment. Effects such as destruction of nesting sites, and the water temperature increasing due to streamside vegetation being removed. Control burning can have drastic effect on Water. Especially, if a surface overflow increases after being burnt off, it can carry suspended soil particles, dissolved non-living nutrients and other materials into the nearby streams and lakes, which causes the water to reduce. However, the problem can avoid by leaving non- burnt shield strips nearby into streams and lakes by ensuring that the duff layer is not consumed.
Air is another effect that control burning intrudes with, as it affects the air quality. Although Air quality is only effected when many areas are on burnt on the same day which could lead to effecting humans health since more then 90 percent of the particles emissions from control burning constrains hundreds of chemical compounds, a few that are known to be toxic. It is proven that repeated exposure to smoke concentration can contribute to respiratory problems and cancer. But, the risk has been estimated to be less than one in a million. Prescribed Fire. 2015. Fire Prescribed Fire. [ONLINE] Available at:
My research …show more content…
Fire needs three conditions if it is to occur. One is oxygen, the second is heat and the third is fuel. Control burning is technique used to manage bushfire risk.
The purpose is to reduce the level of vegetation fuel through burning an area under controlled conditions and to lower the risk of uncontrolled destructive fire as fuel is the only condition that it is possible to really control. It is a process of planning and applying fire in a defined and bound area under specific environmental conditions, to reduce the fire fuel. During the process of control burning it is important that the fire must move with wind (heading fire), against the wind (backing fire) or at the right angle to the wind (flanking fire).
According to Australian Parks and wildlife, scientific research shows that controlled burning is a very effective management tool. They defended their statement with the proof of the 2011 Perth bushfire where it would have been worse but if it wasn’t limited by prior controlled burning.
During control burning process careful instructions needs to be followed:
(See figure 3 for the full process full fire management process under the government of South …show more content…
Control burning can have short and long term effects on the environment. Effects such as destruction of nesting sites, and the water temperature increasing due to streamside vegetation being removed. Control burning can have drastic effect on Water. Especially, if a surface overflow increases after being burnt off, it can carry suspended soil particles, dissolved non-living nutrients and other materials into the nearby streams and lakes, which causes the water to reduce. However, the problem can avoid by leaving non- burnt shield strips nearby into streams and lakes by ensuring that the duff layer is not consumed.
Air is another effect that control burning intrudes with, as it affects the air quality. Although Air quality is only effected when many areas are on burnt on the same day which could lead to effecting humans health since more then 90 percent of the particles emissions from control burning constrains hundreds of chemical compounds, a few that are known to be toxic. It is proven that repeated exposure to smoke concentration can contribute to respiratory problems and cancer. But, the risk has been estimated to be less than one in a million. Prescribed Fire. 2015. Fire Prescribed Fire. [ONLINE] Available at: