Agriculture and Agribusiness

Forest Fire Protection and Plantation Health

A plantation can lose twenty years of growth in an afternoon, and the difference between a fire that is contained and one that is not is usually preparation done months earlier in a season nobody was worried about. This course covers that preparation. Delegates work through fire behaviour: fuel, weather and topography, and why the same ignition behaves completely differently on a slope in the afternoon. Fire danger rating and its use in restricting operations are addressed. Prevention follows through fuel load management, burning of fire breaks, access roads and the neighbour relationships that matter because most fires arrive from outside. Detection and reporting are covered, including towers, patrols and community reporting. Suppression is addressed: initial attack, crew organisation, equipment, water supply and the decision to attack or withdraw. Crew safety is treated directly, including entrapment avoidance. Pest and disease threats follow, covering the main plantation pests of the region and quarantine. The course closes on salvage after fire and on insurance.