tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post4175156466538732709..comments2024-02-12T15:25:44.028+11:00Comments on HotWhopper: Australia is burningSouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08818999735123752034noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-72816091713122543062020-01-05T02:10:24.223+11:002020-01-05T02:10:24.223+11:00Back burning is dangerous in catastrophic conditio...Back burning is dangerous in catastrophic conditions and on more than one occasion recently it has actually caused wildfires. It's really only good in more calm conditions and with time to strategically locate the burn areas.<br /><br />https://twitter.com/AutumnMandrake/status/1213299231118651392<br /><br />Fuel reduction burns also have som utility, but again there are a suite of caveats - windows of opportuntiy, pyrophtyic response over time and its impact on plant community structure and flammability (there's a can of worms...), feasibility of areas that can be covered, and the relatively short duration of the mitigation effect. (usually less than about 7 years, depending on vegetation type).<br /><br />One thing that hasn't garnered much attention yet but will become an ecological horror story over the coming months is the number of species that will have been ratchetted toward extinction. There are a number of Australian endemics that could well be irretrievably on the path to extirpation by the end of this fire season, if they're not actually wiped out. Stay tuned to this awful subject... Bernard J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16299073166371273808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-52744922040787048632020-01-03T02:53:32.397+11:002020-01-03T02:53:32.397+11:00"On that unpromising note, let me change the ..."<i>On that unpromising note, let me change the subject and wish you all a Happy New Year, or at least a fulfilling and satisfying year.</i>"<br /><br />That was a sudden change. Whiplash.<br /><br />Those fires make living below the sea in The Netherlands sound like a good deal.Victor Venemahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02842816166712285801noreply@blogger.com