Bushfire season 2019-2020

[Warin]

Fires near me has again broken the Wollemi fire up into segments. I think they are trying to show fires burning inside the outer rings. It shows that the fire has reached from almost Glen Alice to Wisemans Ferry ..
The weather radar has shown some rain fall over the eastern parts of the fire .. that may assist fire fighters.

[wildwanderer]

Any one know if the green gully track and huts at oxley wild rivers NP made it through the fires?

The rfs map has the entire area as a fire zone.

[rcaffin]

Thanks to mandragara for the reference. Very useful.

Cheers
Roger

[Warin]

Any one know if the green gully track and huts at oxley wild rivers NP made it through the fires?

The rfs map has the entire area as a fire zone.

This is far more usefull .. I think.
https://fires.globalforestwatch.org/rep ... 11!tDay-24

You can zoom in on the map to get the detail. It is a very usefull website...

[wildwanderer]

thanks but im struggling with that site.

Maybe im doing it wrong but I find it virtually impossible to use the map on global forest watch to identify locations. Tried for 10 mins but cant find the start of the green gully track or surounding roads/fire trails. Map box is to small and the roads/trails fade out to soon at lower zoom levels.

[Neo]

thanks but im struggling with that site.

Maybe im doing it wrong but I find it virtually impossible to use the map on global forest watch to identify locations. Tried for 10 mins but cant find the start of the green gully track or surounding roads/fire trails. Map box is to small and the roads/trails fade out to soon at lower zoom levels.

Just used Google maps to search for Green gully track (Yarrowitch) then compared via memory with the grey areas on Fires near me NSW...

All the darker green areas (bush) is included in the fire footprint, the lightest areas (paddocks or cleared land) aren't included.

So most likely the answer is yes, some form of fire has moved through there. To be sure contact NP or the nearest rutal fire brigade directly. That might be Walca.

[Warin]

Things are not looking good this week..

The Wollemi fires that were 'out' with passing rain have reignited.. and there are now some new ones burning too..

Princes Hwy closed.. north of Batemans Bay
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-02/ ... e/11755264

And at the Three Sisters...

[Neo]

Was it this year they were doing hazard reduction burns south of Katoomba?..

Sadly it looks like Murramarang NP will burn today. So far Budawangs in southern Morton NP and up around Barrington Tops have not ignited yet!

[LachlanB]

Yep, that whole area being burnt went up in smoke 6 months ago. Gonna be absolutely devastating to the plants and wildlife in the area. Lots of lovely rainforest in that area too, so its a crying shame ).;

There's a few big fires out around Yerranderie too- looks like a good chunk of Mootik Walls, Mt Colong, and the Blue Breaks is burnt.

[LachlanB]

So I thought I should probably update the scary numbers of the amount of area burnt, as it’s been a few weeks. Oh and there’s still no end in sight…
Going from south to north:
20,776ha in Tallaganda NP
15,017ha in Bimberamala NP (and more to come in Murramarang NP)
21,988ha in the Blue Mtns NP and Kanangra (mostly all completely out of control)
213,550ha in Wollemi (this has been burning for months now)
8,945ha in Yengo NP (out of control)
6,773ha in Goulburn River NP (and out of control)
31,268ha Talawahl NR
12,859ha in Crowdy Bay (the whole park)
109,095ha in Tapin Tops NP and several other parks and forests across to Nowendoc
32,315ha in Biriwal Bulga NP
88,604ha in Cottan-Bimbang NP
120,869ha in Carri NP and Willi Willi NP
229,515ha in Carrai Np and Oxley Wild Rivers NP
31,440ha in Dunggir NP
22,819ha in Cathedral Rock NP
18,478ha in Mt Kaputar NP
183,653ha in Nimboi-Binderay NP, Guy Fawkes River, Nymboida, and Gibraltar Range NPs
98,457ha in Washpool NP
178,691ha in several smaller parks and state forests between Washpool NP and Bundjalung NP
6,520ha in Nightcap NP
25,246ha in Mount Notofagus and Mount Barney NPs

Oh, and I didn’t count every fire, and some have been removed from the RFS map because they’ve either been put out or run out of things to burn.

This adds up to 1,478,878ha. Nearly A MILLION AND A HALF hectares burnt. With more to come, easily, as most of the fires aren’t much under control. That’s 14,788.78 square kilometers, probably about twice the area that had burnt a month ago.. That’s basically the entirety of the Greater Blue Mountains area, between Goulburn River NP in the north to Wombeayan KCR in the south. Sure, it might ‘only’ be 2% of the area of NSW, but it is a freaking important 2%.

[Huntsman247]

Was it this year they were doing hazard reduction burns south of Katoomba?..

Sadly it looks like Murramarang NP will burn today. So far Budawangs in southern Morton NP and up around Barrington Tops have not ignited yet!

Budawang NP is pretty close to one fire. Near the Mt Currockbilly side.

[wildwanderer]

Kowmung R area now burnt

[Hughmac]

I notice Mt Solitary is on fire for the second time in about six months following an earlier prescribed burn. Two fires at such a short interval present a real risk to the plant community affected. The seed bank which will have germinated after the first fire will be destroyed before being able to reproduce the next generation, potentially eliminating some species from the community.

[wildwanderer]

I notice Mt Solitary is on fire for the second time in about six months following an earlier prescribed burn. Two fires at such a short interval present a real risk to the plant community affected. The seed bank which will have germinated after the first fire will be destroyed before being able to reproduce the next generation, potentially eliminating some species from the community.

Apparently burning in Jamison valley now going by the rfs description. Some of this area is rain forest and was very beautiful. It's unlikely to recover. I am sad.

I hope it doesn't reach katoomba.

I do wonder how these fires are starting..

Also kowmung River area now burning. My two favorite walking areas close to Sydney.. what a terrible day.

[Huntsman247]

I do wonder how these fires are starting..

Unfortunately, people most likely.

[ribuck]

Some of this area is rain forest and was very beautiful. It's unlikely to recover.

Sure it will recover. Take a look at historic photos from the time of mining in the Jamison Valley when it was a scene of devastation. It then recovered to become the beautiful mixture of rainforest and other forest that we appreciate today.

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[wildwanderer]

Some of this area is rain forest and was very beautiful. It's unlikely to recover.

Sure it will recover. Take a look at historic photos from the time of mining in the Jamison Valley when it was a scene of devastation. It then recovered to become the beautiful mixture of rainforest and other forest that we appreciate today.

The forest will regrow. However, I believe that with the area so dry, we are unlikely to see the rain forest plants regrowing. The forest will renew with plants more adapted to the dry environment such as eucalypts etc. I do hope I’m wrong.

[north-north-west]

The forest will regrow. However, I believe that with the area so dry, we are unlikely to see the rain forest plants regrowing. The forest will renew with plants more adapted to the dry environment such as eucalypts etc. I do hope I’m wrong.

You probably aren't. Increasing temperatures and reduced rainfall are not good for rainforest.

[duncanm]

This is a very good resource for sat pics - Visual and IR.

NASA

[GregG]

I suspect that the rainforest pocket in Jamison Creek won't be seen again in my lifetime if at all, if the current climate trends continue it will be too hot and dry. In my experience I have never seen rainforest return to its former state after destruction by fire or logging despite all the expert advice to the contrary. One example I know of is a well documented pocket of rainforest that once existed in a gully on the Jarvis Bay side of the Beecroft Peninsula, it was allegedly deliberately burnt out around eighty years ago by someone who did not want it incorporated into the National Park. If you go there now there is nothing to suggest the spectacular rain forest it once was. Makes you despair.

[wildwanderer]

One glimmer of hope is that there is an active bushcare group in the blue mountains. They operate a few times a month planting trees.

They could plant rainforest plants in the area and restore some of what was lost.

[Warin]

Looks like the BOM rain radar is showing smoke clouds at the moment
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR712.loop.shtml#skip

[mandragara]

The nightmare keeps going, no end in sight. How's everyone holding up?

[johnw]

The nightmare keeps going, no end in sight. How's everyone holding up?

Holding up OK but it is depressing. I know it is actually a sunny day above the perpetual smoke haze.
One of the largest bushland areas in the Sydney basin starts about 700 metres to the east of my place.
Due to the immediate geography/topology I would not ordinarily consider us under direct bushfire threat, but these are not normal conditions.
We are fortunate to not be directly impacted by the current fires ringing Sydney, but we are in one of the worst smoke affected areas.
I don't how much smoke I've inhaled over the past however many days. Stinging eyes and so on.
I've definitely noticed it affecting my breathing going for a run, bike ride or anything else reasonably strenuous.
I would/should curtail those activities temporarily but the problem is we're being told this is likely to become the new normal.
In which case my health would likely deteriorate anyway due to lack of exercise, and we'll still breathe the smoke.
The Wollondilly/Yerranderie fire is not close, but not all that far away relatively speaking, and has jumped the Burragorang Valley and heading east.
This morning there is now black ash and burnt gum leaves all over my place outside.
Bushwalking looks like being very restricted unless we get much needed rain. I did go for a walk in Royal NP the other Saturday but nothing since.

Last edited by johnw on Fri 06 Dec, 2019 1:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Warin]

I don't how much smoke I've inhahed over the past however many days. Stinging eyes and so on.
I've definitely noticed it affecting my breathing going for a run, bike ride or anything else reasonably strenuous.

I've ordered some P2 face masks ... 20 of them. With AS marks so they should be ok for smoke. That is ok for breathing, for the eyes some safety googles .. they are hot though.

I have managed to avoid the exercise smoke thing so far by picking when I go. A walk is getting difficult with the closure of the local National Park when ever there is a total fire ban.

Good luck to all. Probably burning into Jan if not Feb...

Last edited by Warin on Fri 06 Dec, 2019 4:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[crollsurf]

Starting to see people wearing masks in Sydney. Hope it doesn't catch on like in Japan but understandable ATM.

Hospital admissions and Ambulance callout are up 20-30% in Sydney. Except for a few days, we have had smoke, sometimes heavy for weeks now.

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[Neo]

Looks like the northern half of Wollemi is about to go too. Kanangra and Natti have linked up, as have much of the northern NSW escarpment!

A bit less wind strength forecast tomorrow, then it changes to a mix of north and east but getting hotter next week so no end in sight yet.

[Hughmac]

The Kowmung, Wollondilly and Nattai valleys are all alight now. Combined with the fires in the Colo region this a major disaster for the GBMWHA. I know these forests are largely adapted to wildfire, but combined with the current drought the impacts are potentially catastrophic. A significant rainfall event in the next few months will turn Lake Burragorang into soup.

[crollsurf]

Hughmac you know about flora. I'm really hoping the Morton NP doesn't catch. The flora there ATM seems to be in a good place.

Snowy Mtns hasn't been affected, fingers crossed but I'd be interest, if it does happen to see what happens to all those dead trees from the 2003 fires.

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[crollsurf]

Southerly pushing through Sydney and burnt leaves falling out of the sky. Can only imagine those leaves came from the fires 300km South of here!

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