4wd article in today's Herald Sun

[TuffRR]

Don't know if anyone has noticed, but in the "Your Say" section of the Herald Sun today (13/12/06) there is an article on page 27 regarding track access in the high country.

I figured the Victorian 4wd Association are pretty hopeless at getting the message out there so I would have a crack myself.

It would be great if people could respond to the Herald Sun supporting this piece to hopefully raise awareness of all the tracks which are being closed down.

:D

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2006/12/109.jpg

[Utemad]

That's a great article. However fire is not bad for the environment. Bushfires that burn too hot or too frequently are but fire in general is not a bad thing.
However when it affects the local human population this badly then it needs to be looked at differently. However if the forests were managed properly then we probably wouldn't have these huge bushfires anyway.

[loanrangie]

Well done mate, i read it over lunch, very true and hopefully someone with some influence will read it.

[Utemad]

Is that a bogged 130 in the picture?

[Quiggers]

The anti 4wd mob will dismiss it.

I assume they're all very happy with themselves. They don't want to save the total environment, just deprive others of 'liberties'. They're fascists.

GQ

[broonski]

Great article! very well put!

but as Utemad said, fire isn't always bad for the environment. most species of australian native trees and plants rely on bushfires for the germination and release of seeds. but on the other hand, rainforest species are not well adjusted to fire... plus in a lot of cases the most effective weed control for lantana (just to name one major species) is burning (obviously with follow up control such as hand weeding, and controlled burning is always best)

something does need to be done about the track closures all round Australia though, not just in Vic, because of events like this.

cheers,
bryce

[Ace]

Its a top article and only re-enforces what i have been saying, and many others for a long time. Keeping these tracks open not only allows access when its needed it ensures a track is keep clear and free from being overgrown as 4wders will keep it clear if trees fall and continual use means it wont become over grown. Nothing will be done though. Matt

[solmanic]

Good article.

In response to those people claiming that bushfires are good for the environment - yes they are, but controlled burning-off is supposed to take care of this. Consequently the tracks are just as necessary to manage controlled burns as they are to fight a wildfire.

[cartm58]

well if you want tracks kept opened then one of the things that you will also have to call for is responsible track use by 4wder's.

That means that on rainy wet muddy days taking your beast for a spin on the tracke to justify your 35 inch mudders may not be a good idea.

Personally l think some tracks require seasonal closure due to the sensivity of the soil in the area.

But land management should also provide designated trails where mud heads and rock climbers and deep pot hole wallowers can also go and have their day in the sun without fear retribution or concern.

Whilst l agree that dunes should be closed to 4wds to preserve the coastal environment, actual beach driving shouldnt be so restricted. For instance at 90 mile beach at the Yarram end the surf life saving club has a designated ramp over dune access onto beach. They should be allowed to sell beach passes say $20 for the day to enable people to enter onto the beach and drive along it and exit from same point.

With vehicle confiscation if your caught playing in the dunes as an appropriate policy of control. Money raised couold be shared between surf life saving and environmental projects along gippsland waterways.

Now living in WA and having sensible beach access is appreciated and Darwin theory of natural selection applies to those 4wds who thing their machines can actually float in ocean water or trundle thu wet/soft sand

[EchiDna]

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20922596-1702,00.html


and now the PM is involved...

like him or loathe him, it seems the firetrails might just get opened back up :)

[Grizzly_Adams]

Whilst there were several mention of "good fires" and "bad fires" in the previous posts it seems that many people misread or glossed over that fact.

If a fire burns to hot & / or fierce (eg. the fires currently in Vic etc.) then the fauna AND the flora (fire resistent or not) dies.

You see the wild fires we are currently experiencing are so hot and fast that the wildlife cannot get away in time and also because they are so hot to seeds which are fire-resistant (and some "require" fire to germinate) cannot handle the heat and die themselves.

The fires that the Australian environment needs are the ones that the countryside has acustomed it to - slow yearly grass-burning type fires. The fires are relatively slow moving so fauna has a chance to escape and as the fires are not overly hot they do not completely destroy the fire-resistant seeds.

Apparently (this is apparently because I was told this by a Parks and Wildlife Ranger and do not have the article to back it up) if we had a wild fire in the same area every 5 years then in 100 years the soil would not be able to support life at all, it would be completely dead.