Bushfires everywhere
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Bushfires everywhere
- From: T* N*
- Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 08:57:00 +0900
Dear All
Having seen just last week TV news footage of the severe bushfires/ wild
fires in Greece and elsewhere I thought it may be timely have a discussion
about the ways of gardening, and the kinds of plants that can be used to
reduce the risks of fire damage. We had very severe bushfires here in 1983
that burnt out several thousand hectares of national park and dozens of
homes and businesses in the suburbs on the perimeter, as well as destroying
many farms and hundreds of cattle and sheep and horses. After the fire an
official enquiry was held and the results were made public - as far as I
know these were in precis form only as the full report carried a lot of
'sensitive' cost breakdowns relevant to the productivity of the insurance
industry.
Among the most interesting results were the studies of the way the fires
travelled, the fuel loads and the burn rates of different plants and trees.
One suggestion put forward was that broad leaved deciduous trees were far
less likely to ignite or burn than evergreen trees, esp. pines, with high
levels of combustible saps and resins. Another was that succulent or
semi-succulent ground covering plants used in broad carpets (and kept free
of pine needles, pine cones, bark pieces and other dry rubbish) were also
effective in reducing the advance of wildfires at ground level. I wonder if
other members would like to suggest specific plants or trees that are
either fire-proof and capable of recoving from a bushfire, or those that
have fire retarding qualities? The information may well be useful to those
unlucky MGS members, and others, who must now contemplate rebuilding their
homes and remaking their gardens.
regards
trevor n
Trevor Nottle
Manager-Education
Torrens Valley Institute of TAFE
School of Horticluture
505 Fullarton Road
Netherby
South Australia 5062
AUSTRALIA
Tel. +61 +8 +8372 6801
Fax. +61 +8 +8372 6888
e-mail <trevorn@torrens.tafe.sa.edu.au>
