Fire fuels science webinars

A three-part webinar series next month will highlight the latest science behind hazard reduction for bushfire management.

The Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC and the Australian Academy of Science are now presenting the National Fire Fuels Science Forum, which was originally scheduled for mid-March this year, as a webinar series open to anyone interested in the science of fire management.

Dr Richard Thornton, the CEO of the CRC, said it was unfortunate but understandable that the Canberra forum could not proceed as planned.

“The disruptions to our lives and work caused by the coronavirus has been significant, and now that many of us have made adjustments to living and working under these arrangements, we believe it is now a good time to revisit this forum on hazard reduction in an online format,” he said.

“The complex issues behind both the science and the practice of hazard reduction still need to be addressed following the extended 2019-20 bushfire season. The Royal Commission into the 2019-20 bushfires has begun and the various state inquiries are well under way. In some places the Autumn burning programs are progressing amid the working constraints imposed by the virus. An early start to the next bushfire season in eastern and southern Australia would see communities under threat of fire in less than five months from now.”

The webinars are a scaled down version of the intended Canberra forum, but the aims are the same.

1. To assist the Royal Commission and the state inquiries in understanding the issues and solutions in managing the landscape for fire. 
2. To bring together leading scientists to determine the state of science of prescribed burning - what is known, what is unknown, what is in agreement, what is in dispute.  

The National Fire Fuels Science Forum webinar series:

(Preliminary program)

Wednesday 6 May 2020, 11am-12pm AEST - The thing about hazard reduction – why is it so difficult and divisive?

• Dr Sarah Harris, Country Fire Authority
• Sascha Rundle, ABC Emergency Broadcasting
• Oliver Costello, Firesticks Alliance
• Justin Leonard, CSIRO

Wednesday 13 May 2020, 11am-12.30pm AEST - The science of hazard reduction – what do we know, what are the knowledge gaps?

• Dr Neil Burrows, WA
• Prof Mike Clarke, La Trobe University
• A/Prof Tina Bell, University of Sydney
• Dr Phil Zylstra, Curtin University
• Prof Mark Adams, Swinburne University

Wednesday 20 May 2020, 11am-12.30pm AEST - The practice of hazard reduction – potentials and limitations.

• Dr Adam Leavesley, ACT Parks and Conservation
• Dr Valerie Densmore, WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
• Ruth Ryan, HVP Plantations
• Dr Simon Heemstra, NSW Rural Fire Service

More details are available on the event page on the aims, topics and format.