The dry season is with us in the Top End. Rain clouds have gone and although there is still a lot of wet country, strong south easterly winds will quickly dry out the bush. NOW is the time for all rural land holders to start putting in fire breaks and clearing fuels from around homes, sheds and other assets in preparation for the bushfire season. Our experience is that people start throwing matches as soon as the bush will burn, and at present there is so much boggy ground that volunteer firefighters can't do much to combat runaway wildfires. All rural residents living in fire protection areas are required to get a Permit to Burn before lighting fires - apart from bona fide cooking fires - on their properties. Contact details for volunteer brigades have been updated and are available on individual brigade pages in this website. Volunteer Brigades will start their annual prescribed burning program as soon as they can get access to safely do so. Motorists are asked to take care and slow down when there is smoke over the road. Residents are asked to be understanding with the smoke - it's going to be put up in order to protect you from potentially devastating late dry season bushfires. Tuesday 19 April 2011 A seminar, hosted by Bushfires NT, was held at the Museum & Art Gallery theatrette today to brief stakeholders about the coming bushfire season. A brief summary is given below: Bureau of Meteorology: The La Nina that gave us a record wet season is now in decline and is moving towards a neutral phase. The 2010 Top End dry season was noted for high temperatures and humidity. This year will be cooler with lower humidity, with July and August the coolest and driest. High pressure systems down south will make stronger winds than usual. Bushfires NT: There is a lot of grass this year, producing high fuel loads, with country still too wet to operate in; this is expected to be a very difficult bushfire season. Bushfires radio repeaters have been upgraded and contractors are on standby for the coming season. The amount of fuel means trouble for the whole of the Northern Territory, not just the western Top End. NTFRS: A lot of areas still too wet for crown land burning and a bad year expected for Alice Springs. Defence: Have commenced burning at Mt Bundy, with Bradshaw to start next week. Will work in cooperation with Bushfires NT and Kakadu NP for bushfire management. Parks & Wildlife: Have commenced asset protection burning and clearing fire trails. CDU: Gamba grass - was comprehensively mapped in 2008 with worst infestations around Batchelor and in Litchfield NP, and has the potential to cover 380,000 sq.km of northern Australia. Gamba spreads by the wind, water, vehicles - graders and slashers - and by animals. It may no longer be deliberately planted. Native grasses give a fuel load of 2 - 6 tonnes/hectare, gamba grass from 4 - 25 t/ha. Increased fuel loads lead to higher Fire Danger Index (FDI) with a corresponding increase in fire ban days. Coomalie is currently rated at 11 t/ha, but will soon be upgraded to 13 t/ha. A fuel load of 15 t/ha could mean almost every day of the bushfire season being a fire ban day. ... Frank: My problem with gamba grass is that far too few people are actually doing anything to control this environmental disaster. Bushfires NT carry out firebreak inspections early every dry season and send out warnings and notices to reluctant land holders. I would like to see their sister department, NRETAS Weeds Branch, also carry out block inspections and issue notices to people who make little or no effort to control gamba grass on their properties. At present, we few are just scratching the surface with treated land being reinfested from adjoining properties where gamba grows uncontrolled. |