Sixty-five years ago I enjoyed riding a horse through state forests.
They were served by tracks for fire fighting and timber getting.
A 22 yard (20m) wide clear firebreak surrounded forests.
Each side of it had a yard (90cm) wide path chipped to bare dirt.
Forestry workers maintained firebreaks and access tracks.
About 30 years ago by 4WD, not horseback, I noticed three metre groundsel bushed growing in state forests at a time when weed control of private property was enforced.
In the late 1980s, while responsible for the maintenance of a large rural area in North Queensland, we routinely conducted fuel reduction burns to prevent destructive wild fires from destroying fences, yards, livestock etc.
During droughts, it was common to partially cut through low branches so starving stock had survival rations.
And was it 25 years ago that a nasty rumour surfaced that glyphosate was used to poison large (unmillable) trees in state parks?
Now we read of all manner of development projects, productive mines and so on being banned, allegedly to protect wee furry beasties, froggies, nice snakes and dicky birds.
Could some of your readers therefore please tell me why today it is no problem to: –
A. Erect allegedly outstanding electricity generating wind farms that kill eagles, owls, bats and such; and
B. Clog forest access tracks with fallen timber and neglect common sense firebreaks and fuel reduction burns?
– Name and address withheld on request
