THE Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) is resuming its prescribed burning program in the South West, with burns scheduled last week for 20 kilometres south-west of Donnybrook and two kilometres south of Balingup.
Environment Minister Bill Marmion said DEC had identified 71 burns which were more than five kilometres from town sites or rural subdivisions, covering a total area of 114,000 hectares.
“The program was on hold because of extremely dry conditions but rain in recent weeks has enabled the department to begin burning now that weather conditions are suitable,” Mr Marmion said.
“The burn plan methodology to be applied to each burn has been submitted to the newly established Office of Bushfire Risk Management (OBRM) for assessment.”
The OBRM was set up by the state government in response to the special inquiry by Mick Keelty into the cause of the Margaret River bushfire last November.
Mr Marmion said while burns within five kilometres of communities and subdivisions had been put on hold until DEC’s risk assessment model complied with international standards, he would grant exemptions in critical cases. Prescribed burns create low-fuel areas in a mosaic of burnt and not burnt patches across the landscape.
