Well, the "control burn" alluded to a few posts back has been inflicted. The fears i had about the outcome were unfortunately realized. The weed-encrusted river was basically left untouched, as was land directly adjacent the M2 corridor, but all the (former) top notch native stuff in the middle, which was mostly only 2-4 meters tall, was annihilated, along with all the mammals (bandicoots, echidnas etc), lizards, and the habitat of endemic nesting honeyeaters. Now the weeds are even better poised to continue moving on in. It boggles my mind what possible good this achieved.
I can rationalize the treatment of the bush within 50 meters of the townhouses being dealt with (most was clear-felled then torched), but the purpose of roasting the shallow-soiled sandstone plateau eludes me (incendiaries dropped by helicopter, apparently). I suppose it stems from NPWS's fear of the litigious should the inevitable mega-fire claim a few townhouses, as has happened in the past. Makes a mockery of adjacent "Re-Vegetation - Keep Off" bush signage, and of NPWS's insistence that mtb single-track be strictly prohibited. What a bunch of tosh.
Grumble grumble grumble.
I can rationalize the treatment of the bush within 50 meters of the townhouses being dealt with (most was clear-felled then torched), but the purpose of roasting the shallow-soiled sandstone plateau eludes me (incendiaries dropped by helicopter, apparently). I suppose it stems from NPWS's fear of the litigious should the inevitable mega-fire claim a few townhouses, as has happened in the past. Makes a mockery of adjacent "Re-Vegetation - Keep Off" bush signage, and of NPWS's insistence that mtb single-track be strictly prohibited. What a bunch of tosh.
Grumble grumble grumble.
Weed-dominated river frontage
sandstone plateau
and the M2 corridoor
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