South-West Forests Defence Foundation Inc.

Saving jarrah and karri native forest in Western Australia

     PRESCRIBED BURNING

The SFDF has meticulously compiled research that challenges the general belief that prescribed burning as conducted by the DBCA is effective in reducing the risk to life and property from out-of-control wildfires, as well as the misconception that it is harmless.

This work has been published as a series of Fact Sheets (see below and at the right) and provides details of the scientific research showing that prescribed burning as it is currently practised in the south-west forest regions does not give effective protection from wildfires, is hazardous to people’s health and is causing irreversible loss of biodiversity.

The SFDF calls for an independent scientific review of prescribed burning as as recommended by the EPA and for the use of rapid detection and suppression of small fires before they become wildfires. You can read the Media Release about the Facts Sheets here.

FACT  VS  FICTION (Sheet 1)

EXPOSING MYTHS ABOUT PRESCRIBED BURNING IN SOUTH-WEST FORESTS

MYTH: “Prescribed burning is the best way to protect life, property and biodiversity from wildfires.”
FACT: Smoke from prescibed burns kills people.
Between 2002 and 2017 smoke from prescribed burns was estimated to have caused the death of 21 people in south-west W.A. In this period four people died directly from wildfire. Estimated health-related costs in 2017 alone were $24.1 million (Fact Sheet 4).
 
FACT: Prescribed burns have escaped and destroyed houses. (Fact Sheet 8).

Dwelling destroyed by out-of-control prescribed burn in Margaret River. Source: Report on “Investigation of the house losses in the Margaret River Bushfire 23 November 2011”, Department of Fire & Emergency Services, October 2012.

FACT: Prescribed burns kill animals and plants.
Prescribed burns kill mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, insects and plants. They cause old, valuable habitat trees to collapse pushing already threatened species closer to extinction. Many plant species and communities are not adapted to frequent, hot fire. (Fact Sheet 3).

A critically endangered ringtail possum after Warrungup Spring prescribed burn in 2018. Source: Allison Dixon.

FACT: Frequent prescribed burning is causing biodiversity loss.
In most of its prescribed burns DBCA is allowed to injure or kill any number of threatened plants and animals. (Fact Sheet 3).
“Where prescribed burning impacts restricted, discontinuous or rare habitats, there is a high probability of species loss and irreversible changes to biodiversity.” Humane Society International, 2022.

Critically endangered Banksia verticillata killed in prescribed burn at Poison Hill, Nuyts block, April 2018.

MYTH: “Aboriginal people burnt the forests extensively and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is simply continuing Noongar land management practices.”
FACT: DBCA’s prescribed burning differs from Noongar use of fire in scale, intensity and frequency.
Noongar people did not burn the karri or tingle forests or other sensitive environments. Deliberately or accidentally, DBCA burns every ecosystem type in the south-west forest region. (Fact Sheet 6).
 
FACT: Prescribed burns produce greenhouse gases and contribute to climate change.
Annual prescribed burns totalling approximately 200 000 ha have GHG emissions equivalent to about 10% of Western Australia’s reported annual emissions. (Fact Sheet 7).
 
FACT: State and federal legislation is not being applied to DBCA’s prescribed burning program.
• The federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is not being applied to protect the south-west’s precious biodiversity from prescribed burning.
• Under the state Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, DBCA’s minister authorises DBCA to take (kill) or disturb any number of threatened fauna and flora during prescribed burns.
• Prescribed burning is exempt from the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure.
• Prescribed-burn greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are accounted for as ‘natural variations’ and not included in Australia’s reported totals. (Fact Sheet 3 and Fact Sheet 4).
 
MYTH: “Prescribed burning reduces the fuel load.”
FACT: Burning stimulates growth, increasing fuel load.

Dense understorey in jarrah forest after burning. Source: Philip Zylstra, http://theconversation.com.

Graph showing that the fine shrub biomass peaks 25 years post fire then declines. Source: figure 5-7 https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/10037, Philip Zylstra.

 
 
FACT: Prescribed burning stops natural reduction of forest floor fuel load.
Prescribed burns kill microbes, invertebrates and fungi that decompose and reduce flammable litter naturally, and animals that turn it over.

A single Woylie (weighing around 1.2 kg) turns over approximately 5 tonnes of soil per year. Source: Humane Society International Australia.

 
MYTH: “Keeping 45% of the south-west forests with a time-since-burn of less than 6 years allows fire suppression when a wildfire reaches an area with low fuel load.”
FACT: In extreme fire weather ground-level fuel loads play no part in fire propagation.
Almost all damaging wildfires occur in extreme fire weather. Fire quickly climbs to the tree crowns and then travels at that level. Only a wind or weather change will stop it. (Fact Sheet 2 and Fact Sheet 5).

Source: DFES website: https://dfes.wa.gov.au

MYTH: “Reducing the fuel load is the only way to protect people and property from wildfires.”
FACT: Most wildfires are started by people.
From July 1991 to December 2023, around 8400 south-west wildfires were recorded in the DBCA_060 database. The main cause was arson (59%). More can and should be done to stop arson. (Fact Sheet 8).
FACT: Immediate detection and rapid suppression of ignitions is the safest and most effective way to protect life, property and biodiversity from wildfires. (Fact Sheet 8).
 
FACT: Prescribed burning in our forests is a waste of money (Fact Sheet 10).
DBCA burns large areas remote from the assets requiring protection because this is the cheapest possible burning regime.
This approach is having little effect on subsequent wildfire area, and causing immeasurable ecological damage so it wastes taxpayer resources, money that could be better spent elsewhere.
The most effective way to reduce wildfire risk and damage is to reduce fuel loads close to the assets requiring protection, NOT in remote areas.
 

Click the front cover above to download the complete Fact Sheets document (5MB).

You can also purchase a hard copy printed version – $10 including postage – HERE.

Download individual Fact Sheets from the links below:

Fact Sheet 1 FACT VS FICTION
 
Learn more about fire in our forests at this page.
 
 
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