Fun Stuff > CHATTER
Australian bushfires
ViolentDove:
--- Quote from: RedLion on 09 Feb 2009, 22:26 ---These seem to happen in cycles, just like the yearly outbursts of forest fires on the U.S's west coast. After awhile, you kind of become inured to it you know? When I hear about something like this nowadays, I feel for the people, but on the whole it barely even phases me.
I've heard it tossed around that these fires can actually be beneficial, in a cleansing way--clearing out dead trees, brush, etc. Any basis to that?
--- End quote ---
Much of the native vegetation in Australia is adapted to fire, so much so that some plants can only reproduce by being burnt. It's part of the reason why bushfires are so common in Australia, as the vegetation generally has a large amount of volatile, flammable oils, in addition to being rather dry. There's a fair bit of debate in ecology circles though as to the frequency and intensity of burning that the native vegetation requires, and burning to benefit the vegetation takes a back seat to "hazard reduction" or "harm minimisation" burning, which is what Hat is talking about - it's supposed to reduce the fuel-load of the area, so you don't get massively intense fires like the ones we've just seen. When the press talks about how the landscape is "devasted" after a fire in Australia, it's kind of inaccurate for most situations and they rarely show photos of the burn site a few months later when it's a sea of green and new growth.
I think after this there's going to be some questions asked as to how so many people could be killed.
Inlander:
The Victorian Government's already announced that there's going to be a Royal Commission into the fires, and there's been quite a lot of discussion in the media here in Victoria in the last 24 hours of the "stay or leave early" policy that dictates how people should react to the threat of a fire.
Fishboy:
This situation is are mind blowing, the death tole is already over twice that of the ash Wednesday fires. Half of our country is on fire, the other half flooded. the flooded half filled with animals that can eat you and beyond waterlogged and the fiery half hot enough to kill from meters away. Good god i hope no-one I know is hurt.
David_Dovey:
--- Quote from: Darkbluerabbit on 09 Feb 2009, 22:40 ---Besides speculation that arson may have occurred, do they have any idea what motives might be involved? Could it be a crazy extremist political stunt of some kind, or just wanton destruction?
--- End quote ---
Have you been reading Fox News?
Iron_Fist:
--- Quote from: Tom on 08 Feb 2009, 22:59 ---All 128 deaths have been in Victoria despite over 50 different fires in NSW.
--- End quote ---
Update, the official toll is 173. And it is expected to hit over 200.
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