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An ecological disaster is underway in the Victorian high country

There have been significant fears raised in the environmental community about the two high country fires that are currently burning. One (the Matlock fire) has threatened to run south to the Baw Baw Plateau. It is now contained. The second one (called the Mt Margaret fire and marked on Emergency Victoria maps as NE of Licola) is not yet under control and moving into precious high country areas. UPDATE, March 6: there is a new fire – in the Wonnangatta Valley.

We appreciate the huge effort that has gone into containing the Matlock fire. Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) crews have obviously worked hard on both these fires. But a situation is unfolding at present (monday March 3, 2025) which could see an ecological catastrophe happen in the coming week.

We will post updates here as there are changes to the conditions on the fires. Scroll down to find the latest.

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A report from the snow gum summit

Each year it gets a little harder to ignore the impacts of climate change. For us mountain folk, the obvious signs are the more erratic winters, the dwindling snowpack, and the longer fire seasons that, increasingly, disrupt our summers.

Every natural ecosystem on the planet is being impacted by climate change. In the Australian high country, the two most obvious victims are alpine ash and snow gums. It is impossible to miss the walls of grey dead trunks and the thick and flammable regrowth as you drive up into the mountains from any valley town. Climate change is making our fire seasons longer and snow gums are increasingly being burnt beyond their ability to recover. Research from Latrobe University[1] shows that ‘long unburnt’ snow gums are now ‘exceedingly rare’ in the Victorian Alps, comprising less than 1% of snow gum forests.

And dieback is now killing thousands of trees. Dieback is a natural phenomena, caused by a native beetle. However, climate change appears to be ‘super charging’ the scale of the impact. This is because winters are shorter and warmer (meaning more beetles survive the cold months) and summers are hotter and drier (meaning trees are more water stressed and less able to produce the sap that acts as a defence against beetle infestations).

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Mountain Journal magazine #5 – call-out for contributions

It’s that time of year. We are starting to get the annual magazine started. MJ magazine is an annual magazine that is distributed for free in mountain and valley towns between Melbourne and Canberra. And this year we have a guest editor: Anna Langford.

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Fire near Mt Howitt

Recent dry lightning caused a number of fires across the Victorian high country. Most were quickly contained but one just north of the Howitt Plains is becoming a concern.

This area, of high elevation snow gum woodlands inter-spaced with grass dominated plains, has been burnt several times in recent decades, with many areas now holding thick (and highly flammable) regrowth forests. Fires in these recovering forests can lead to ecological collapse – that is, the loss of snow gum dominated forests, which are replaced by grass and shrubs. It is essential that we exclude fire from these ecosystems as they recover.

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Above the Snow Line

Sarah Lynch is an artist based in Naarm (Melbourne) and works primarily in photography, video, and installation. Lynch’s most recent work examines the diversity of the botanical world and the relationship between plants, people, and the ecosystems they inhabit.

Sarah will be presenting at the snow gum summit, which will happen at Dinner Plain from February 14 – 16, 2025.

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International Mountain Day 2024

International Mountain Day is marked each year on December 11. This is one of those globally recognised events that often have an annual theme, and according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO), this year it is “Mountain solutions for a sustainable future – innovation, adaptation and youth”.

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Do you have a film to include in the 2025 backcountry film festival?

Last winter already seems like a dream. It was so brief (with some moments of absolute powder glory) but gone so soon. Living through the second short season in a row makes us all worry about what’s coming as climate change keeps kicking in (the recently released ‘Victoria’s changing climate report –  available here – highlights the fact that snow pack has been in decline in Victoria since the 1950s).

But to be a skier or rider in Australia is to be an eternal optimist. So we plough on, hopeful that next winter will break the current losing trend.

And, when we can’t get to the snow, there is always the Backcountry Film festival!

Continue reading “Do you have a film to include in the 2025 backcountry film festival?” →

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What next after the logging? Have your say

On January 1, 2024, all native forest logging on public lands in the east of the state of Victoria ended. This is a wonderful win for forests, animals, landscapes and the climate, and comes after decades of hard work by many thousands of people.

After a long wait, the state government has now announced the consultation process for making a decision about how these forests should be managed in the future. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to influence the way Victoria’s forests are cared for into the future. Fill out this short survey as part of the Great Outdoors Taskforce’s engagement on the future of state forests.

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Celebrating International Mountain Day – in the lowlands

International Mountain Day is marked each year on December 11. This is one of those globally recognised events that often have an annual theme, and according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO), this year it is “Mountain solutions for a sustainable future – innovation, adaptation and youth”.

Out in central and northern Victoria, on the traditional lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung people, there are two sets of celebrations that will happen around the global day. The Dja Dja Wurrung are organising an event at Lalgambuk (Mt Franklin) on the 11th, and the folks from the Great Dividing Trail Network (who look after the trail that runs from Ballarat to Bendigo) are hosting a series of walks to different mountains between the 6th and 10th of December.

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Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing update – November 2024

The plan by the Victorian government to upgrade the ‘Falls to Hotham Crossing’, a three day walk from the resort towns of Falls Creek to Hotham has been the subject of a long campaign by many environmental and outdoors groups and individuals because it is seen as a commercialisation of national parks. The plan, as originally pitched, was for several commercial accommodation ‘pods’ along the route, plus a major re-route of the walk to go up to Mt Feathertop. Government says ‘the walk is planned to be a multi-day hiking experience through the unique alpine environment, from Falls Creek to Mount Hotham.’

Faced with strong opposition, Parks Victoria is now proposing a scaled down version of the proposal, although notes that while they have not included overnight accommodation huts as part of the current proposed construction, ‘they do remain in the master”.

HEADER IMAGE: Artist impression of shelter at High Knob.

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A new fire fighting team for Victoria

On Tuesday November 12, lightning started a fire in remote country north of Valencia Creek in the Victorian high country.

On Wednesday November 13, two rappel crews from Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) were airlifted into the Avon Wilderness to fight the fire.

The crews created a mineral earth break around the fire and spent two days extinguishing hotspots before it was announced that the fire had been contained. In total the fire burnt around 1.3 hectares of forest. (Source: FFMV facebook).

This sort of early intervention is what is needed to stop small fires from turning into uncontrollable blazes.

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Black Summer biodiversity study suggests rethink of prescribed burns and fire management in Australia

 

This is not ‘new’ news. But it does add to the conversation that is underway about the role of prescribed burning (also called planned burning and fuel reduction burning) in terms of reducing fire risk.  

A new study examining plant and animal species after the Black Summer fire season has found greater biodiversity loss in areas that have been subject to frequent burning. Six ecosystems were considered, including alpine, wetland, rainforests and dry and wet eucalypt forest.

Sites with three or more fires in the 40 years leading up to the 2019–20 Black Summer were far more negatively impacted than previously unburnt areas or sites that had burnt once during that time.

Continue reading “Black Summer biodiversity study suggests rethink of prescribed burns and fire management in Australia” →

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