Who are we?
We are an independent coalition of 50+ community groups and individuals united by a concern that the NSW Government's 10/50 vegetation clearing code is not based on sound scientific evidence. We contend that this lack of evidence-based debate is promoting unacceptable tree removal in our communities.
We fully appreciate the risks and rewards of having trees in the urban environment and, for many of us who live close to the bush interface, fire safety is an important consideration. However, we also know that indiscriminate removal of vegetation is not a panacea, just as the wanton destruction of trees in low risk metropolitan areas will do little to ameliorate this issue. In fact, this removal may well increase the exposure to bushfire damage for such properties.
Please don't misunderstand us – we totally support and promote clearing of fine vegetation fuels, trimming of branches from trees and bushes, substituting less flammable plants and adopting other vegetation management practices to make fire-prone properties as defendable as the site allows.
However we also maintain that there are practical limits to such practices and that absolute safety is not possible. At a certain point, no amount of vegetation removal is going to lessen that risk under certain weather and environmental conditions common to Australia. Therefore we must manage risk as best we can and make choices. We are also strongly of the view that there are many positives in keeping suitable vegetation near a property.
We must emphasise that we are not affiliated with any particular political party or group. We are just a group pf concerned citizens who are tired of the overly simplistic, knee-jerk response to important issues of bushfire risk management represented by the 10/50 Code, and abhor the resultant threats to biodiversity,.
Our members come from a broad spread of communities across New South Wales including Tweed, Central Coast, Blue Mts and the suburbs of Sydney to name a few. We represent the silent majority of ordinary people who understand that:
Protecting people AND the environment is both essential and possible, but not simple.
We fully appreciate the risks and rewards of having trees in the urban environment and, for many of us who live close to the bush interface, fire safety is an important consideration. However, we also know that indiscriminate removal of vegetation is not a panacea, just as the wanton destruction of trees in low risk metropolitan areas will do little to ameliorate this issue. In fact, this removal may well increase the exposure to bushfire damage for such properties.
Please don't misunderstand us – we totally support and promote clearing of fine vegetation fuels, trimming of branches from trees and bushes, substituting less flammable plants and adopting other vegetation management practices to make fire-prone properties as defendable as the site allows.
However we also maintain that there are practical limits to such practices and that absolute safety is not possible. At a certain point, no amount of vegetation removal is going to lessen that risk under certain weather and environmental conditions common to Australia. Therefore we must manage risk as best we can and make choices. We are also strongly of the view that there are many positives in keeping suitable vegetation near a property.
We must emphasise that we are not affiliated with any particular political party or group. We are just a group pf concerned citizens who are tired of the overly simplistic, knee-jerk response to important issues of bushfire risk management represented by the 10/50 Code, and abhor the resultant threats to biodiversity,.
Our members come from a broad spread of communities across New South Wales including Tweed, Central Coast, Blue Mts and the suburbs of Sydney to name a few. We represent the silent majority of ordinary people who understand that:
Protecting people AND the environment is both essential and possible, but not simple.