With the second anniversary of the Black Summer fires rapidly approaching, the Howitt Society has called for more to be done about minimizing the risk of another catastrophic bushfire outbreak.
The Society, whose members are made up of scientists, foresters, and experienced land and fire managers, are calling on the State Government, and their associated agencies, to implement serious fuel reduction burns across the East Gippsland landscape.
Since the 2019/20 bushfires, which burnt large swathes of private and public landholdings across the region, the undergrowth in forests has flourished with frequent and high rainfalls.
Society members argue the bush faces an immediate, intensifying and ultimately existential threat from large high intensity wildfire.
Fourth generation Far East Gippslander, John Mulligan, grew up in Gipsy Point, near Mallacoota, and has spent most of his life in the area learning and understanding life in the forests from his forebears, pioneers, cattlemen and timber workers.
90-year-old Mr Mulligan said his family "used to burn the bush all the time in order to keep it healthy”.
"Up to the 40s, everyone was doing a bit of burning to keep the bush clean,” he said.
Like other members of the Howitt Society, Mr Mulligan advocates for “mild" and regular burning of the bush to maintain its health, and importantly, mitigate the potential risk of uncontrollable bushfires like those that menaced East Gippsland in 2019/20.

IMAGE: Fourth generation Far East Gippslander, John Mulligan, surveying the blackened Angora Range last week. He says the trees “are dying slowly”. K302-5021