Management of prescribed burning for fuel reduction in New South Wales forestry : a qualitative appraisal

Prescribed burning for fuel reduction has been a cornerstone of Australian wildfire prevention and suppression for decades. The potential of prescribed burning for fuel reduction has not been realised in New South Wales to the extent demonstrated in other states, notably Western Australia. The implementation of prescribed burning for fuel reduction in New South Wales forestry was investigated to establish the influences and factors that had combined to create the current status of the fire prevention technique. To facilitate understanding the investigation initially reviewed the history of fire and forestry with a particular focus on New South Wales. It proved essential to use oral history methodology to gain a full appreciation of this history. The background provided by history enabled an investigation of forestry districts in south-east New South Wales to assess the extent and effectiveness of the implementation of prescribed burning for fuel reduction at this scale. The use of interviews to facilitate a breadth and depth of understanding was again required to supplement the data collection. Individuals were identified as key to the implementation process and a survey of forest managers was conducted to determine the attitude and related background of managers. The combined results of these three investigations provide evidence that the corporate ethos encouraging innovation and "ownership" of management objectives and solutions was critical to the relatively better implementation of prescribed burning for fuel reduction in the Department of Conservation and Land Management of Western Australia than by the Forestry Commission of New South Wales