“Utter devastation” is the description of Colin Arnold’s impression of the state of the East Gippsland bush.
Mr Arnold is a highly regarded horticulturalist who has devoted his life to ecological conservation and has been recognised with a Queen’s Honour Award for his contribution to environmental care.
He lives in the Yarra Valley and has a following of strong supporters for his work in regeneration of native vegetation, importantly in a balanced form.
He is engaged by many corporate bodies including shires, universities, Melbourne Water, Parks Victoria and more, for control of undesirable invasive species and to reestablish a more balanced ecosystem.
In particular he is concerned about the demise of less recognised understorey plants that are the lifeblood of insects, lizards and other rarely seen but important little creatures.
Mr Arnold had long been hearing from colleagues about the dramatic change in plant species in the East Gippsland bush as a consequence of the 2019/20 bushfires.
Recently he set out on a three-week mission to see it for himself, travelling throughout the burned areas of East Gippsland and south eastern New South Wales.
“Only seeing is believing,” he said of the vastness and enormity of the ravaged landscape.
“I saw the unbelievable scale of growth of some scrub species that have overtaken and dominated areas that previously had a range of botanical varieties. I took a multitude of photos along the way, many of which highlight the density of fuel load.
“There were many places where I didn’t see or hear any birdlife. The loss of millions of our wildlife species is incomprehensible.
“I spoke to a Mallacoota fisherman who had seen kangaroos on fire, fleeing in a vain attempt to save themselves.
“The tragedy of what has happened defies description.”
Mr Arnold spoke of research undertaken by Melbourne University scientists whose work has revealed the sterilisation of soils and consequent destruction of seed banks therein.
It is acknowledged that some eucalypts in fact need fire to germinate their seeds, but the intensity of the 2019/20 fires went far beyond that and enabled the unbalanced domination of species that survived.
What is being done to try and rectify the damage is a matter of great concern to Mr Arnold and he is not alone.
There’s a general consensus of opinion among seasoned firefighters, farmers and the general community that the massive build-up of scrub is likely to create even more destruction when the next big fire takes hold.
The fact roadsides, including the Princes Highway, are becoming overgrown more than ever before is of concern and Mr Arnold said question is often asked: “why?”
“Our river and creek frontages are also choked with weeds enabling their spread and providing a haven for predators,” he said.
“It is understood that DEECA’s Forest Fire Management teams undertake a certain amount of work but in spite of their efforts, it is not nearly enough.”
Mr Arnold recognises the enormity of the task, but believes there needs to be much greater coordinated programming of multiple methods of fuel load reduction, particularly in the proximity of towns and properties.
Regrettably he believes that some authorities have “turned a blind eye”, perhaps as a consequence of the perceived “impossibility” of the scale of resurrection needed.
He fears some have just resigned themselves to the fact the next fire will be worse and there’s nothing they can do about it.
Mr Arnold is not one to shy away from a challenge and he is hell bent on encouraging shires, in particular, along with every available resource, to step up to the mark and tackle the problem.
He personally has had great success with grazing goats, but also encourages implementation of all tactics, be that with machinery, cool burning and even community engagement
through bodies such as Landcare to make a start.
He believes that to do nothing is totally unacceptable and a confession that unchecked fuel loads will lead to even greater devastation in the future.
