Fires across southern NSW sign of things to come

Numerous fires across southern NSW are a warning of the seriousness of the fire season ahead, Forests NSW planning manager Tony Scherl, said today.

"The season is at least a full month ahead of itself," Mr Scherl said. "Extremely dry conditions and the probability of spring rain being talked down have meant that we are fully focussed on getting ready for a long and busy fire season.

"The local bush fire management committee in the Monaro is in the process of considering bringing the regions statutory bush fire period in earlier in response to the severity of the season."

Mr Scherl is at present in Forests NSW Monaro office where he is incident controller for a fire which started on 16 August, 12 km east of Bombala, in a plantation.

"The fire got underway in very high winds gusting at more than 100 kph, which combined with the exceptionally dry conditions being experienced in the Monaro," he said.

Mr Scherl said the fire, which was the largest of five to six separate fires which started on the day, has burnt approximately 500 hectares of State forest pine plantation estate and about 20 hectares of private pine plantation. The fire has now been contained and mopping-up is in progress.

"The fire affected a mixed age group of pine from seedlings (just planted) through to mature trees. In many places the fire was below the crown of the mature trees and burning was patchy, so we expect a lot of timber to be salvageable and numerous trees may well survive," he said.

Forests NSW, the NSW Rural Fire Service and Willmott Forests have been working on the fire, plus Forests NSW helicopter has been used for water bombing. Forests NSW also engaged its contract bull dozer fleet, which proved incredibly effective in preventing further spread of the fire to other assets.

"The concern for fire agencies in the Monaro and southern NSW is the nature of the exceptional fire behaviour we are experiencing so early this year, and the continuing extremely dry conditions. It is an ominous sign of what the coming fire season may bring.

"In NSW, three summers in every four will expose our forests to moderate or high-fire threats, with a major season occurring once a decade, and a disastrous season once every 30 years or so.

"Forests NSW put more than two thirds of its fire risk management effort and expenditure into fire prevention and preparation. Plus we have mobile fire fighting crews, which can deployed across the State if we start to run out of resources locally," Mr Scherl said.

In addition to the usual preparations this year, Forests NSW has increased its emphasis on safety, with an earlier start anticipated for contract fire fighting personnel.

"Like every year, our crews are hoping this is not the disastrous one-in-30-year season, but were preparing just in case," Mr Scherl said.