DEC's $1.27 million fire - mid summer National Park escape

Fly Brook Forest/ Greater Hawke NP and D’Entrecasteaux NP Fire

New Year’s Eve 2010

DEC’s $1.27 million fire

Fly Brook Forest Block / Greater Hawke National Park, 15 km west of Pemberton, was subject to a planned burn (DP 008) by the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) in spring and summer 2010.

DEC lost control of the fire and it escaped into the adjoining D’Entrecasteaux National Park burning through more than 23 000 hectares of forest and bushland.

The financial cost of this fire and its consequences was $1 273 777. The ecological costs can not be as readily quantified.

Ignition occurred on 15 days in September, October, November and December, with the final ignition being carried out in mid summer and peak tourist season on 30^th December 2010 (WA Legislative Council, Question on Notice, No. 4248, 2011). 

WHAT DEC PLANNED
DEC planned to burn 8328 hectares for “strategic protection” purposes 15 km west of Pemberton. DEC said that it intended to achieve strategic protection of private property, tourism infrastructure and regrowth forest by applying “fire under prescribed conditions” (DEC, Fly Brook DP 008, Aug 2010).

The secondary purpose according to prescription documents was to “protect and maintain biodiversity values and ecological processes… to achieve a mosaic of fire intensities of burnt and unburnt areas at both a landscape and local scale” (DEC, Fly Brook DP 008, Aug 2010).

WHAT HAPPENED

The prescribed fire escaped into the adjoining D’Entrecasteaux National Park and burnt out of control, stranding 50 people in the National Park, threatening huts and burning at high intensities through more than 15 000 hectares of highly biodiverse and ecologically significant bushland.

After a week of uncontrolled hot summer fire, on 5^th January 2011 DEC issued a bushfire ‘All Clear’ and announced: “The cause of the fire was from wind blown embers in an area of karri that was originally ignited in mid-November 2010, as part of a DEC prescribed burn that began on 28 September 2010” (DEC, Bushfire All Clear, Jan 2011).

As of that date DEC advised the escaped fire had burnt some 13 300 hectares of the D’Entrecasteaux National Park. However, DEC continued to light new fires in this National Park to obtain “fire boundary security” and fires were still burning as late as 21^st January 2011.

A total of 23 442 hectares were burnt as a result of this burn, nearly three times the intended area (WA Legislative Council, Question on Notice, No. 4248, 2011).

The 15 114 hectares burnt in the wildfire caused by the escape from the prescribed burn and back-burning to control the wildfire are not counted towards DEC’s target of 200 000 hectares to be burnt every year in the south-west forest region.

Source of tabled information: WA Legislative Council, Question on Notice, No. 4248, 2011.

Notes on Flora and Fauna

 The burnt area is known habitat for the threatened mainland quokka (Setonix brachyurus). The mainland quokka is listed as “fauna that is likely to become extinct or is rare” in accordance with the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 (WA). It is also listed as “threatened fauna” in accordance with the national Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Quokka numbers have declined significantly since the 1930s with as few as 150 individuals remaining in the northern and central Jarrah forests (Hayward et al. 2003).

DEC’s draft recovery plan (de Tores and Williams 2010) states on p 1;

   "Changing fire regimes, timber harvesting and urban development are likely to have           negatively affected the distribution and size of quokka populations (Dickman, 1996a; Kinnear et al., 2002; May and Norton, 1996)"

It continues on p 9;

   "…high intensity and/or high frequency fires… have the potential to pose significant         threats to quokka populations (de Tores et al, 2007)."

And on p 10;

…this recover plan advocates proponents of any existing or proposed activities or actions should demonstrate any on-ground works (including harvesting, burning, firebreaks, road works, changes to drainage etc) in the immediate vicinity of quokka populations, known habitat and potential habitat, will not have an adverse effect on the species or on its habitat or potential habitat.

DEC’s draft recovery plan was completed in early 2010. It has since (as of August 2011) sat in limbo. It has not been circulated to the recovery team members or forwarded to senior DEC managers for endorsement. Despite having been paid for by the Commonwealth, it has not been forwarded to relevant Commonwealth representatives.

In response to questions in Parliament the department outlined that post fire assessment of flora was undertaken in February 2011 and that further flora monitoring and quokka assessments will be carried out in spring 2011.

COMMENT

DEC set fire to Flybrook Block / Greater Hawke National Park throughout spring and into summer 2010 claiming that the application of fire under prescribed conditions would reduce the risk of wildfire in the area and thereby protect tourism infrastructure, private property and biodiversity.

The result was quite the opposite. The national parks are well used by tourists and locals during the wildflower season and Christmas period. During the fire supplies had to be airlifted to people staying in huts on both sides of the Donnelly River who were stranded when the fire burnt uncontrolled over the river threatening the huts and cutting off accesses (Massey & Burke, The West Australian, Dec 2010).

DEC initially did not claim responsibility for the fire that spread through the D’Entrecasteaux National Park as a result of an escape from their burn in the adjacent block. They have since accepted that their mid summer fire was the cause.

The consequences for the threatened mainland quokka have no doubt been dramatic. DEC has informed Parliament that they will carry out monitoring of the quokkas in spring 2011.

The financial cost of this fire exceeded $1.27 million – such a significant sum could be far better spent on improved response times, safer and more effective use of fire in more appropriate locations, and improved management.

(Scourfield, The West Australian, Jan 2011)