Although bushfires seem like a remote chance at the moment, Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) has been working closely with the Friends of the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve over the past four years on fire preparation and fuel management in the reserve.
Working closely with the community on fire preparation is reaping rewards for biodiversity in the reserve.
The Ocean Grove Nature Reserve protects the last remaining stand of original woodland on the Bellarine Peninsula and is a haven for native plants and animals.
Collaboration between FFMVic and the Friends has ensured the environmental group’s values have been incorporated in the fuel reduction program.
This has included a shift to using more mechanical fuel reduction strategies, including mulching, to compliment planned burning.
“We’ve seen really positive results in recent years with more diversity in the ground flora than we were seeing prior, as the burns open up the canopies and let in more sunlight,” Friends of the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve President Peter Sullivan said.
The fuel reduction program aims to promote an open grassy forest structure within the reserve that gives preference to native grasses, orchids and wildflowers, and allows the Bellarine yellow gum to reach its full potential, by managing over-crowding and competition. Large old trees provide valuable habitat for birds, arboreal mammals and a host of other critters important for the ecosystem.
An open grassy forest also allows for planned burning to be completed at different times of the year, creating a patchwork of fuel-reduced areas across the reserve. This results in a mosaic of burnt and unburnt areas, providing a diverse range of habitat to support a variety of plants and wildlife.
“We’ve been working closely with the Friends of the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve to ensure we strike the right balance between reducing the risk of fire to community while maintaining and restoring the reserve’s important environmental values,” FFMVic Otways District Manager David Roberts said.
“By working together to plan our mulching and burning program, we have seen biodiversity in this important reserve flourish.”
