Three things interested me on this article & I have some questions
1/ Is the dead trees more prominent ? Are they only worried about near access roads or properties ?
It is good that both opinions (for & against) on the amount of dead trees are listed in the article.
2/ Interesting that people complain about the 4 to 5 metres clearance when CFS website
http://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/site/bushfire/news/native_vegetation_management/new_rules_for_native_vegetation.jsp details up to 20m from a building and up to 5m from a structure.
3/ The fire summit is mentioned, but the AFAC 2011 summit is in Sydney according to
http://www.afac2011.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=70. Does anyone know what summit this is ?
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Adelaide Hills councils clear dying trees ahead of fire season
Source:
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/deadly-problem-for-hils-dwellers/story-e6frea6u-1226116955114AUTHORITIES in the Adelaide Hills are waging a winter war on overgrown trees ahead of the bushfire season.
Hills mayor Bill Spragg said the number of dead trees had risen 200-300 per cent higher than usual and the council had begun the huge task of clearing fuel loads.
He said there were more dead trees in his council now than in the 30 years he had lived in the area.
"I have not seen the levels of dead wood reach this extent before, it is going to be an issue, they appear to be dying all throughout the Hills," he said. "They are all dying because of the drought two years ago, they have succumbed to the stress and have never recovered."
The council has begun slashing "substantial" numbers of the trees and vegetation, and clearing up fire tracks in preparation for the potentially dangerous season ahead. He said between 60 and 70 per cent of trees in the Cherryville area, near Montacute, were dead.
Some Hills residents, however, feel the council has gone overboard.
"I have never seen the clearance levels so severe, they will always throw the bushfire threat in our faces but some of the trees they are hacking, like my radiata pines do not grow back," a Crafers resident said.
He said some vegetation had been cut back 4-5m from houses and every other day there were traffic delays as workers hacked into trees.
Arborist Marcus Lodge, of Arborman Tree Solutions, agreed vegetation in the Hills was "thick" but disagreed that dead tree levels were at an all-time high.
"There are areas in the Hills where some of the trees are dying off in patches, and that can look quite bad, but I do not know if the number has actually increased," he said.
Country Fire Service manager operation services Rob Sandford said Hills homeowners should start their fire preparation now.
"While it is too early to predict spring growth and the subsequent severity of the upcoming fire danger season, the CFS always recommends that people use the winter and early spring months to prepare their home from the risk of bushfire," he said.
"It is good practice to start preparing your bushfire survival plan now, well ahead of any fire danger, as you must make important decisions about what you will do in the event of a bushfire, before the fire season starts."
Adelaide next week hosts a national fire safety summit to identify the dangers of the upcoming fire season.
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