In less than two short years, a thick undergrowth is emerging in East Gippsland bushland that was burnt during the Black Summer Bushfires.
The indomitable resurgence of the undergrowth in the forests is cause for concern.
The Howitt Society, whose members are made up of scientists, foresters, and experienced land and fire managers, fear once conditions dry out, the landscape will be ripe for another megafire like the one that ravaged the region in 2019/20.
The Society is calling on the State Government to urgently implement effective and regular fuel reduction burning programs to mitigate the risk of another catastrophe like the Black Summer Bushfires.
During a tour of East Gippsland’s worst affected bushfire areas recently, Howitt Society members, accompanied by forest and scientific experts, inspected landscapes that had suffered the most during the Black Summer apocalypse.

IMAGE: Forestry consultant, John Cameron, stands among the regrowth in the forest adjoining the Mallacoota airport. Mr Cameron says the forest undergrowth has the potential to create a more intense bushfire risk in the future. K302-5196