The Nature Conservation Council of NSW will hold an informative half-day workshop in Winmalee on Saturday 13 November exploring how residents can live safely with fire in the Lower Blue Mountains, from understanding fire behaviour and local ecology to how homes can be better protected from wildfire.
Participants will hear expert speakers from the CSIRO, the NSW Rural Fire Service, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Blue Mountains City Council and the Nature Conservation Council.
“With our increasingly busy lifestyles it is easy to forget the important role bush fire preparation can play in our lives. The risk of bush fire can never be completely eliminated but it can be reduced by understanding fire behaviour and taking appropriate precautions,” Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Bushfire Project Manager, Greg Banks, said.
“This workshop will provide residents from the Lower Blue Mountains with information to help them as the fire season approaches, including the essential role fire plays in maintaining biodiversity in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area,” he said.
“Good risk management strategies will not only help keep your property safe from bushfire, but can give plants and animals a good chance of survival as well,” NSW Rural Fire Service Superintendant, David Hoadley, said.
“Timely preparation and burning practices using a clever range of fire intensities, frequencies and scales of burning can make a big difference for the protection of local wildlife and habitats,” he said.
Details:
What: Learning to Live with Fire in the Lower Blue Mountains
When: 10am – 3pm. Sat 13 November, 2010
Where: Winmalee Presbyterian Hall (Cnr of Hawkesbury Road and High School Drive)
Speakers: Dr Stuart Matthews (CSIRO), Glenn Meade (NPWS), Peter Belshore (BMCC)
NSW Rural Fire Service, David Hoadley, on strategic burning, community education to show people can protect themselves from fire on their property
Blue Mountains Conservation Society Bushfire Officer, Hugh Patterson, on local ecology and fire (including impacts of high severity fires on plants and animals), and potential impacts of fire suppression on biodiversity
Cost: Free.
