DELWP report on Reducing the Effect of Planned Burns on Hollow Bearing Trees
There is inadequate information on the fate of hollow-bearing trees (HBTs) subject to planned burns in Victoria. This study aimed to provide a methodologically robust estimate of the
collapse rate of HBTs in planned burns in the forests of Gippsland. The study’s primary goal was to quantify the impact on HBTs of exposure to a single instance of planned fire; the secondary goal was to provide evidence-based options for managers seeking to reduce this impact.
“Of Hollow Bearing Trees (HBT) directly reached by fire, 25.6% collapsed, which represented a 27.9-fold increase in the risk of collapse versus that of HBTs that did not directly experience fire.”
This indirectly admits that govt planned burns knock out 1/4 to 1/3rd of all hollow dependent species! And that’s just those that require hollows for nesting and denning. It would likely reduce the population of ground dwelling wildlife from 50-100%.
Read the report here