Mt Alexander Shire councillor and member of the Bush Users Group Robin Taylor said the recent bushfires highlighted the perilous state of fuel loads in national and state forests and on road sides.

“As part of the Bush Users Group we have been pleading with the government for years to take action.” ”The recent Malmsbury fire was bought under control because of fuel reduction burning in the area.” Cr Taylor said local government needed to become part of the bigger picture and allow roadside reserves to be cleaned up and burnt.

“Also, unsafe trees must be removed, because as we saw in the recent fires, falling trees blocked roads.” Cr Taylor has been involved with the group that produced the No Fuel - No Fire bumper stickers for cars.

The bumper stickers carrying the message that fuel reduction prevents fires are set to flood across Victoria over the next couple of weeks.

The No Fuel - No Fires, Fuel Reduction Saves Lives stickers the are the concept of Rita Bentley from the Prospectors and Miners Association, who has spent 20 years lobbying both state and local government for a more balanced approach to land management.

Cr Taylor said the public land management policy had been hijacked by the green movement to the extent that fallen timber was not being removed on roadsides because it was regarded as a native fauna habitat.

“Policy makers refuse to listen to those with generations of experience in forest management.

“Instead they adopt computer modelled imported policies from places that simply do not have the intense fire risk that we live with.” Cr Taylor said former arborist in the forestry industry Scott Gentle made a submission to the 2008 Environment and Natural Resources Committee Bushfire Inquiry foreshadowing the events of Black Saturday.

He submitted that it was simply dumb luck that the town of Healesville had not experienced a fire since about 1963.

Cr Taylor said he was sure the Royal Commission was likely to recommend higher fuel reduction activity.