A Currowan Fire Update / 12th January 2020

Fire conditions have eased across the fire grounds in our area over the last few days.
There was even a very small amount of rain.
This has given the RFS crews a chance to mop up active fire areas, back burn protective breaks and clear roads of fallen trees.
We are still warned to stay alert in case conditions turn again.
The Currowan Fire has spawned four adjacent fires which now total an area of just under half a million hectares ie. 1.2 million acres.
A time line of the fire’s life has been documented here with the accompanying map below.

Meanwhile at home we have assessed the fencing damage in detail and started to bring in repair materials.
Work will commence next week when Stirls comes down for a few days. Our boundary fences are a first priority.
We are still waiting for word from our insurance company on structural replacements.
A continuing supply of hay for the cows has been established as the remaining pasture is limited.
Water is still a concern. Our dams are looking very sad and we are on very strict restrictions in the house in case we need to start to use our tank water for the cows. Granted we still have 30,000L in storage but our cattle could consume up to 200L /day.

It can be a bit depressing living in the burnt landscape but today, on a boundary walk, I noticed that some of the eucalyptus trees have sprung into renewal mode.
Epicormic buds on the tree’s branches and trunk sprout when triggered by stress, such as wildfire, which can severely damage the crown. These buds, in the outer sapwood, are protected from fire damage by the tree’s bark. They quickly sprout if a eucalypt looses its crown. The new shoots, epicormic shoots, produce green foliage which enables the tree to survive.

Many other native Australian plants use fire to initiate seeds which have fallen onto the nutrient rich ash bed. We can expect a brand new under storey to also appear with time.
Even small shoots of grass are now beginning to grow through the ash.
When/if the rain comes, we can expect a real burst of life.