Malmsbury Fire Brigade is working with its community to restore a culturally-significant community space.
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Photos and video by Brian Wilson
Members of the brigade assisted with an ecological burn at the Malmsbury Common on Saturday (18 May) in conjunction with Macedon Ranges Shire Council and the Malmsbury Common Community Working Group, with the aim of stimulating the growth of its native species.
The Common is a highly-valued conservation reserve with significant native grasslands, wetlands and stream bank vegetation.
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It is also home to a diversity of flora and fauna and supports important Aboriginal and European cultural heritage values.
A master plan for the site aims to protect and enhance its natural environmental and cultural values while providing opportunities to increase its use by community members.
It is hoped that the burn will change the conditions of the site, reducing biomass and interrupting grass seed production, stimulating the growth of native species, and changing the composition of vegetation to more closely resemble the natural conditions of the area.
In the video below, Darren from Malmsbury Fire Brigade and Martin from Macedon Ranges Shire Council discuss the burn and how it will deliver both environmental benefits and fire protection for the township.
The process to rehabilitate the site to how it may have been 200 years ago is expected to take a number of years. Lighting operations for the burn were conducted be the council and its contractors.
Photos and video by Brian Wilson
Author: Shaunnagh O'Loughlin