Planned burn carried out near Lorne

FOREST Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) carried out planned burns at Lorne and Beeac last week.

Crews ignited the nine-hectare burn at Lorne near Francis Street and four-hectare burn at Beeac on the morning of April 3 and finished burning that afternoon.

Firefighters remained on site throughout the night and over the following days to patrol the burn area.

The Beeac burn was an ecological burn to reduce exotic grasses and weeds and support the growth of spiny peppercress; a perennial herb listed as Vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

FFMVic says planned burns play a vital role in reducing the bushfire risk to help make communities safer.

Two other planned burns are also slated for Lorne this autumn – 1,913 hectares near Cora Lynn Creek North and 305 hectares near the Sheoak Picnic Ground.

Each burn is part of a three-year Joint Fuel Management Plan that outlines where FFMVic intends to carry out fuel management works.

Although burns are scheduled to take place in a certain year and sometimes in a particular season, this can change depending on weather and local conditions.

Because of this, FFMVic is unable to give an exact date when these burns will go ahead – the final decision to proceed can only be made on the day of the burn, following monitoring of weather conditions and local fuel moisture levels.