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Perceptions of Prescribed Burning in a Local Forest Community in Victoria, Australia

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Abstract

The general perceptions of prescribed burning were elicited from forest users for an area that has been subject to this form of land management for at least 20 years. The largest group consisted of local residents living in and around the Wombat State Forest with two smaller groups of students from a nearby university campus and local professional land managers. A questionnaire was given to each participant in order to explore how the forest was used, to determine the level of knowledge of burning in the targeted forest and Victoria and the perception of the appearance, effectiveness of protection, and accessibility to the forest after prescribed burning. Generally all groups had similar responses with community members having stronger views on the effectiveness and practicalities of prescribed burning, whereas students were more neutral in their opinions. All participants claimed knowledge of prescribed burning activities within Victoria, but fewer had experience of planned fires in the Wombat State Forest. All groups agreed that areas that had not been recently burned had a better appearance than those that had, but this result may have included a range of value judgments. Land managers had a greater understanding of the ecological importance of season and timing of burning; however, some students and community members were equally knowledgeable. Prescribed burning did not impede access to the forest, nor did smoke from prescribed burns pose any great problem. The majority of the participants felt that the amount of prescribed burning done in the forest was adequate for engendering a feeling of protection to life and property, yet many were still suspicious of this management practice. These initial findings indicate several areas in which further research would be useful including the efficacy of education programs for community members and improved communication of burn plans by land managers.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the Spanish Government for providing financial support while Imma Oliveras was in Australia and the Department of Sustainability and Environment, and the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre for providing practical support for this research. We also wish to thank Gayne Kirkhouse of the Country Fire Authority, Tim Anderson, Lee Gleeson, and Tanya Loos of the Department of Sustainability and Environment for logistical support and Peter Shepherd, Mark Adams, Don Oswin, Amanda Ashton, and Alan York for useful discussions and comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Forest and Ecosystem Science, The University of Melbourne, Water Street, Creswick, 3363, Victoria, Australia

    Tina Bell

  2. Centre de Recerca Ecologica i Aplicacions Forestals, Edifici C Facultat de Ciències, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain

    Immaculada Oliveras

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  1. Tina Bell
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  2. Immaculada Oliveras
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Correspondence to Tina Bell.

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Bell, T., Oliveras, I. Perceptions of Prescribed Burning in a Local Forest Community in Victoria, Australia. Environmental Management 38, 867–878 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-005-0290-3

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