In
1891, shocked by the settlers' attitude to the natural vegetation, Reverend
Samuel Dixon wrote: “The farmer, the squatter, the miner and the swagman all
cause extensive conflagrations, and by their oft-recurrence the arborescent
growths are reduced to mere scrubs, and the more tender plants are utterly
destroyed with a recklessness which can only be fittingly described as insane.'
Unhindered
by neighbours, lush grass or conscience, the simple match set up a culture of
fire, which is firmly perpetuated today by a stream of official documents
pointing out how Aboriginals burned the land, so the bush must now be burned to
stay healthy.
A far
more accurate guide to the extent of fires in Aboriginal times would be Joseph
Banks' diary, in which, on first seeing the sweeping, forested panorama of the
Australian mainland, he noted- “..a
complete absence of smoke from fires.” (22 April 1770)
Ancient
Gondwana forests, accustomed to the odd lethal lightning strike, had had to
change to survive the first Australians' different fire regime. But they never
had to endure the savage treatment of the last 200 years.
Burn a
fertile seed or tender seedling and it is dead, a growth-cycle lost. Burn
often, and the only plants that return are those that reproduce underground, have
buds protected by thick bark, or have very hard seeds. Tough, dry plants,
waiting in a layer of fallen leaves and tinder-dry killed stems for the next
fire.
To
encourage a return of the original cool, triple-layer, fire-resistant forests
would be in everyone's best interest. But it would need a painful change in
traditional viewpoint. It would need acceptance that generational burning has
been harmful. It would need a change in terminology, from fuel loads to shaded
soils and mulch, from fire hazard and rubbish to cool, natural bushland; from
hazard reduction to simpler asset protection.
Creek
lines need to become again the fire-retardant protective network evolved by
nature, not mere convenient sections of green pick and water for cows.
And we
need to stop burning the bush, just because we are afraid of fire
- P Edwards
This article was published as "Hold your fire: restore fertile seeds of forest" as the VOICES FOR THE EARTH column in The Daily Examiner on 15th April.
