Program & Speakers

Forestry Australia’s Forest Fire Management Committee have developed a topical and broad program to explore prescribed burning including cultural, practical and research perspectives. We look forward to this important and timely discussion, and welcoming your attendance.

Wednesday 26 June

7:30 Registration, arrival tea & coffee
8:30 Welcome to Country
8:50 #1: Opening & Dr Kevin Tolhurst AM Memorial Lecture
Dr Neil Burrows, FireNinti Consulting and The University of Western Australia
9:15 #2: Cultural fire practices and Aboriginal forest management

Rachael Cavanagh, Balun Budjabin Consulting
Additional speakers will be announced shortly
10:45 Morning tea
11:15 #3: Assessing the effectiveness of prescribed fire in reducing the spread and severity of unplanned fires

Two bushfires
Ed Hatherley, Parks and Wildlife Service Western Australia

Managing savanna fire regimes
Prof Jeremy Russell-Smith, Charles Darwin University

Reducing bushfire risk using prescribed burning across all land tenures
Courtney Bertram, Office of Bushfire Risk Management, VIC

An outline of prescribed fire in Southern Pine plantations in Queensland
Tom Clapson, HQPlantations
12:45 Lunch
13:30 #4: Achieving land management goals using prescribed fire

Lessons from the Strathbogies
Chris Hardman, Forest Fire Management Victoria

Re-introducing broadscale fire following timber harvesting and several decades of fire exclusion
Dr Lachlan McCaw, Consultant

Planned Burning Prescriptions aligned with Land Management Objectives
Dr Jane Cawson, The University of Melbourne
15:00 Afternoon tea
15:30 #5: Panel: Prescribed fire research – encouraging effective practice, what are critical gaps and how can these be filled?

Dr Rowena Morris, Natural Hazards Research Australia
Prof Trent Penman, The University of Melbourne
Sandra Whight, Australasian Fire Authorities Council
Dr Thomas Duff, Country Fire Authority
17:15 Wrap up
17:30 Close
18:30 Casual networking dinner

Thursday 27 June

8:00 Registration, arrival tea & coffee
9:00 #6: Fire communication

Actions required to improve forest fire management
Euan Ferguson, Consultant

Communicating the complexity of fire science
David Bruce, Natural Hazards Research Australia

How did we get the message so wrong?
Tim Lee, Landline, ABC
10:15 Morning tea
10:45 #7: Why do we need prescribed fire in our environment?

Enhancing forest resilience and protecting fire sensitive forests and water catchments with prescribed fire
Dr Tony Bartlett, Bartlett Forestry Consulting

Practical bushfire management on private land: Red Hot Tips
Dr Pep Turner, Tasmania Fire Service

Saving our water supply through prescribed burn
Shaun Lawlor, Dept of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (VIC)

FESA in the Wombat Forest: Opportunities and challenges presented by long-term prescribed fire experiments
A/Prof Lauren Bennett, The University of Melbourne
12:30 Lunch
13:15 #8: Fire management, health & risk

What should fire fighters know from smoke research to manage their health?
Dr Fabienne Reisen, CSIRO

Identifying and managing dangerous trees when planned burning
Paul de Mar, GHD
14:30 Afternoon tea
15:00 #9: Prescribed fire: considerations on the way forward

Creating effective partnerships and engagement with stakeholders
Rebel Talbert, Forestry Corporation of NSW

Developing an effective prescribed burning workforce
Trevor Howard, Australasian Fire Authorities Council

KPIs helping us to meet the National Fire Policy Statement goals
Peter Leeson, Consultant
16:30 #10: Wrap up, resolutions & close
17:00 Close