^^this! getting a permit is far too onerous.
fragmentation of rural land is a leading cause of lack of fuel reduction burns too. where there was once one large property there is now several smaller properties with several owners all with different opinions on the matter. it's usually the ones that don't burn in winter because it will hurt the koalas that get their property burnt in summer that kills the koalas.
whatever your take on climate change the method for preventing and managing the severity of fires remains the same; burn off at a time of year that is safer.
it's really that simple. fire is just a chemical reaction that needs three things in order to start and grow. heat, fuel, oxygen or oxidizing agent. take any of these away and the fire goes out. once an open fire grows to a certain physical size the only way to extinguish it is to starve it of fuel. a fire doesn't have to be very big at all to cross over that threshold where fuel starvation is the only physical way to extinguish it.
the best time to fight a bushfire is months before the fire season. here in QLD that means winter. years ago when common sense prevailed you could light a fire in july or august and almost walk away and let it burn into the hills. by midnight the frost had put it out.
in victoria where they have wet winters and dry summers makes burning off more challenging. by the time the bush is dry enough to burn coming out of winter the temps are summer like and conditions are more dangerous. we don't seem to get a spring season anymore. we come out of winter and get slapped in the face by summer. 9 months of summer, 3 months of winter.
