Fire on the right target

I AM confused by the ‘Mail’ front page article last week (‘Beat back bushfires’, 16 June).
Commendable it is that $2.04 million is being distributed to environmentally conscious community groups to clean up the disgusting mess of trash and weeds existing on our roadsides and reserves.
My confusion comes when I read in the one sentence that the money will help local groups reduce the fuel load by removing woody weeds and invasive plants and improve habitat through native plantings.
I can only hope that the herd of recipients lined up in the photo with Federal Member for La Trobe Jason Wood are not going to war on European deciduous species, which are well-known as fire retardant.
Even some exotic evergreens, woody weeds and invasive plants are fire retardant.
And I hope the planting of natives is done sensibly, with careful selection of species and situation.
As Mr Wood says, “The area is one of the world’s most fire-sensitive locations”.
Many natives are highly combustible and in fact native vegetation is a major reason why we have such a high fire risk.
Where I live in Gembrook was once safe from bushfires because of the surrounding potato paddocks.
As time has passed, subdivision and new housing has seen many natives planted in gardens and eucalypts planted as street trees.
My summers are increasingly anxious, and, yes, it confuses me, when we have repeatedly seen whole townships destroyed by fire.
Carey Williams,
Gembrook.