"Burning for the Bush"

COMMUNITY WORKSHOP ON FIRE ECOLOGY

All landholders, Rural Fire Service (RFS) members and those in the local community with an interest in learning more about how to use fire to protect biodiversity are invited to participate in this important workshop. With over 60 threatened species of flora and fauna on the Granite Belt and seven threatened ecological communities, fire plays an important role in their long term sustainability.

The guest presenters are our keynote speaker, landscape ecologist Dr John Hunter, an environmental consultant and former lecturer from the University of New England, and Peter Croft, an ecologist, researcher and author.  Both have extensive research experience in granite ecosystems and how they respond to fire. Other speakers will come from the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service and Rural Fire Services.

For those unable to attend our event on Sunday, a similar event is being run on the previous day (Saturday, 27th May) at Glen Aplin Memorial Hall, 14 Foster Street, Glen Aplin QLD .  To secure your seat at the Saturday event in Queensland use this link: https://www.trybooking.com/CHIHD

We will be discussing at both of these events:

• Biodiversity
• Resilience of our natural assets
• Burning regimes what does this mean
• Protecting our threatened species and what needs to be done
• Preparedness, hazard reduction and interaction with the integrity of natural assets
• Understanding our landscape and its challenges
• What resources are available

This event has been jointly funded by the Commonwealth and the New South Wales Government under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements and we thank them for their ongoing support with this project. 

A little about our speakers:

Dr John Hunter (Keynote speaker) B.Sc. (Hons) (UNE), PhD (UNE)

Adjunct Associate Professor - School of Environmental and Rural Science, UNE

A landscape ecologist whose major interests include: biodiversity how it is measured and its functional traits. Major research interests include: vegetation classifications, plant systematics, biomass, sociology, surveying of flora and fauna.  Author of over 240 reports many of which are peer-reviewed.  Holds numerous roles on committees including secretary of the international Vegetation Classification Working Group, the Northern Tablelands Regional Advisory Committee and the technical sub-committee for the Saving Our Species/Landscape Species/Data Deficient Species programs for the NSW Environmental Trust. 

Peter Croft, Ecologist

Affiliated with the School of Human and Environmental Studies, UNE, Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science UNE and Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, Parks and Wildlife Group, Glen Innes Area. Ex Ranger, Northern Tablelands NSW NPWS

Brian McDonough, Volunteer RFS

Director, NSW Rural Fire Service Association (10+ years)