A Jess Wilson-led Liberal and Nationals Government will protect healthy forests and restore degraded ones through our Forest Management Program.
The Program will:
- Double planned burning and expand cultural burning in partnership with Indigenous Victorians,
- Reduce fuel loads,
- Build and maintain a statewide firebreak network,
- Control invasive pests and weeds,
- Put more rangers on the ground, and
- Deliver increased public reporting every year on biodiversity and ecological outcomes.
Timber recovered through the Program as part of forest restoration and fuel reduction measures will be put to its highest-value use and processed in Victoria, while old growth and hollow-bearing trees will be protected.
Shadow Minister for Public Land Management Melina Bath said the plan would deliver healthier, more resilient forests, safer communities and more people managing public land.
“A Jess Wilson-led Liberal and Nationals Government will rebuild strategic fuel breaks, expand cultural burning in partnership with Indigenous Victorians and put more people back on the ground managing the land,” Ms Bath said.
“We will double planned burning and work towards the Bushfires Royal Commission’s recommendation of treating five per cent of treatable public land every year.
“5,000 hectares of degraded public forest will be restored each year through targeted thinning and fuel reduction.
Timber recovered will be processed locally and put to its highest-value use, from sawlogs to firewood, biochar and mulch, with the revenue reinvested in Victoria.”
Forests left unmanaged burn harder and recover more slowly. Active management makes forests more resilient and communities safer.
A Liberal and Nationals Government will also invest $2.52 million over four years, alongside industry co-investment, to deliver an expanded $4.41 million bushfire detection camera network across 18 locations in eastern and western Victoria.
Providing 24/7, 360-degree monitoring across more than 1.46 million hectares, the cameras will detect smoke early and deliver real-time intelligence to support faster firefighting responses, helping protect regional communities, farms, plantations, critical infrastructure and Victoria’s timber supply.
“Under the Labor government, hazardous fuel loads have built up, forests have become dense and bushfires more destructive,” Ms Bath said.
“Healthier forests, lower fuel loads and regional jobs are not competing priorities. Our practical plan restores active stewardship and protects communities.
