THE Victorian Forest Products Association (VFPA) on Monday warned the outlook for the fire season in Victoria, particularly in western Victoria, is looking particularly dire, with record low rainfall and low soil moisture readings creating ideal conditions for bushfires.

VFPA chief executive, Andrew White said all the Bureau of Meteorology’s predictors in the western part of Victoria are showing a drier than usual lead up to the fire season, with soil moisture low, and a high fuel load ringing alarm bells for the next few months.

“Record low rainfall in the western part of Victoria combined with dry conditions in winter, means we have a ‘green drought’ in some areas, where the risk to our plantations and Victoria’s vital timber assets used to build new homes and create export income for local communities is extremely high,” he said.

“Our terrestrial AI (artificial intelligence)-powered fire cameras in the western part of the state help with early detection, but there is still ‘blind spots’ where we don’t have funding to put cameras in place.

“Our members are particularly worried about the potential impact on these vital community assets, as plantations are vital supply lines for timber going into Victorian homes and exported plantation products create employment for local staff and contractors.

“The forestry industry has funded its own specialist brigades which have already been actively working with DEECA and the CFA to conduct prescribed burns and preparative activities that will help protect the local community, as well as these vital community assets.”

VFPA is the peak industry body representing the forest products value chain in Victoria, from those producing our sustainable wood to those processing wood fibre into an extensive range of value-added products used by Victorians every day.

Victoria is the home of plantation forestry, with more timber plantations than any other state.

“Last season, the AI-powered fire cameras operated by the Green Triangle Fire Alliance detected 40 unplanned fires – 21 on private land, 11 on public, and 8 in plantations,” Mr White said.

“The cameras were the first point of detection in various scenarios, detecting fire in some cases up to six minutes before another source.”

Introduced in the area last summer, the detection technology uses a combination of high-definition cameras, satellite feeds, AI and cloud software to pinpoint new ignitions and alert fire professionals within minutes.