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The 2009 black saturday fires and the yarra Ranges

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The Black Saturday bushfires affected large parts of Victoria. The fires claimed more than two thousand homes, injured 414 people and tragically 173 lives were taken. The Fires stretched from Bendigo in the northwest to Beechworth in the northeast and down to Wilson’s Promontory in the southeast. The conditions on 7th of February 2009 were some of the worst bushfire-weather conditions ever recorded. It was the hottest Melbourne day in history, with temperatures reaching over 45°C, there were strong winds reaching speeds of more than 100km and a long period of drought meant that the vegetation was very dry.

The full impact of the Victorian bushfires may not be known for many years. What is clear is that these large, intense fires have potentially destroyed some of Victoria’s most endangered animals and plants, raising concerns for their survival in the future. // ‘Many of Victoria’s unique forests and other natural areas have also been extensively burnt and will be unrecognisable for many years to come’ // says The Wilderness Society. One example of this is the spectacular giant mountain ash forests in the Yarra Valley National Park, which supports a large variety of important communities of plants and animals.  = =

Click on the following link-
Map of Yarra Ranges National Park

The Yarra Ranges National Park located east of Healesville and south of Marysville contains some of the most significant remaining stands of old growth forests and rainforests in Victoria, and some of the tallest trees on Earth. The tall wet mixed-aged forests of these catchments have survived past fires, and are home to endangered species including Victoria’s faunal emblem, the Leadbeater’s possum. In the spectacular giant mountain ash stands, the area contains some of the most carbon dense forests on Earth.
 * Yarra Ranges National park **

The Black Saturday fires of January 2009, that affected the Yarra Ranges, are thought to have been started by falling power lines. The mass of vegetation and large amount of growth acted as fuel for the fires. Over 38% of the park was burnt in the fires. The Native vegetation will recover from fire over time. DSE and Parks Victoria are undertaking soil erosion control on all parks that were affected by the fires. This involves the replanting and re-growth of vegetation to assist a successful recovery.
 * Cause of the Fires and Recovery Strategies. **



The Helmeted Honeyeater is a black and yellow-feathered bird. It lives in the Yarra Ranges and most national Victorian parks; they are quite fussy about the habitat they live in. They prefer to live by a streamside or riparian habitat. The Helmeted Honeyeater recovery program has been going for 20 years now and Healesville Sanctuary has been involved in helping the birds from the start. They feed on the swamp gum and the mountain swamp gums.
 * Helmeted Honeyeater **

The Black Saturday bush fires burnt lots of the trees identified as possible locations for the future home of these birds after being released from the sanctuary.

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 * Click on the video below to find out more about the Helmeted Honeyeater's road to recovery. **

The Leadbeaters Possum is an endangered marsupial that can be found in the Central Highlands of Victoria. Prior to 1961, this animal was thought to be extinct. Leadbeater’s possum is the official faunal emblem of Victoria State.
 * The Leadbeaters Possum **

The Leadbeater’s Possum is a light and sometimes-dark brown furry creature with little beady eyes, light skin coloured ears and a long skinny curly tail. It lives in most of the national parks in Victoria. The Leadbeaters Possum is now on the brink of extinction thanks to the Black Saturday fires. The fires left limited food and shelter for the animals.



Nest boxes for the Leadbeaters possums are part of Parks Victoria Rangers Recovery Program. Before Black Saturday there were 30 nest boxes. After the fires 22 of the 30 nest boxes had been destroyed.

Adore Animals Foundation is going to create a “Leadbeaters Possum Awareness Day” to raise awareness on the possum’s endangerment. media type="youtube" key="nSTbubgSZmo" height="345" width="420" align="center"

**The Shiny Nematolepius**
The Shiny Nematolepius is a white flowering, attractive shrub with mottled bark that may grow up to 10 metres tall and is fondly know as Shiny Nem. It is an endangered shrub endemic to Victoria with only 11 fully grown shrubs known to be in the wild. In 2006 a National Recovery Program was initiated to save the species. The fires threatened to undo the work of the program. Against the odds botanists have located about 211,000 seedlings growing in the Yarra Ranges after the Black Saturday fires.

As many of these seedlings will not survive to maturity, due to overcrowding, Parks Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) with the assistance of staff from the Royal Botanic Gardens are taking action to ensure the survival of the species.

In the middle of May 2011, staff from the Royal Botanic Gardens gathered 150 seedlings from the wild to grow and plant in fenced off areas in numerous locations in the Yarra Ranges. Once the plants are big enough they will be replanted into land established as part of the recovery program with the goal of protecting the species.


 * The Lorax’s **** Speech **

I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. Give me some time I beg of you please. I myself watched the flames grow, They roared like lions, they were vicious I know. These poor native animals, they watched their homes burn; If you want to help them somethings you must learn. To help the animals get back on their feet, Give them shelter and something to eat. Help preserve what is left standing, Help those unfortunates who need a soft landing. The trees were burnt help them get well, Listen to me before I start to yell! Heed my advice things won’t last forever; To take care of them now would be quite clever. Ensure that our endangered species live a long time, That is my speech and my little rhyme.


 * Bibliography **

"The Wilderness Society — Preliminary Report: Impact of the 2009 Victorian bushfires on nature and wildlife." //The Wilderness Society — Home//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 March 2009. .

"Black Saturday bushfires - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia// Web. 22 August. 2011. .

"Cause of Kilmore Fire Still Unknown - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)." //ABC.net.au//. Web. 23 Aug. 2011. .

"Emergency Relief and Recovery." //Department of Sustainability and Environment, Home//. Web. 22 Aug. 2011. .

"Errors in IPCC Climate Science » Blog Archive » How Did the Kilmore, Kinglake and Marysville Fires Ignite ?" //Warwick Hughes Free Lance Science Research//. Web. 23 Aug. 2011. .

"Cause of Kilmore Fire Still Unknown - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)." //ABC.net.au//. Web. 23 Aug. 2011. .