Activists plan camp out to save 150-year-old Bendigo bush from planned burn

A Forest Fire Management Victoria spokesperson said the burns at Whipstick Road would be rescheduled for a later date.

"FFMVic's number one priority is the protection of life, property and the environment and that is what we will continue to do," the spokesperson said.

Earlier: Protesters will camp out to oppose a planned burn at a section of bushland in Whipstick State Forest left to grow untouched for more than 150 years.

The 135-hectare section of the state park at Whipstick Road had been left intact since it was mined and was an example of "where our bush could be in years to come", activists said.

"This bush has been slowly recovering since mining days when there were no plants left on it," Friends of the Whipstick Landcare Group member Ken Wellard said.

A diverse ecosystem of plants and animals had flourished in the 150 years since, he said.

"So now we have got this bit of bush that has generally improved simply because we have left it alone."

Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) had scheduled a fuel reduction burn in the Box Ironbark Forest on Saturday, April 27.

Planned burning was a key part of FFMV's year-round effort to reduce bushfire risk to communities and the environment, according to their website.

Fellow group member Michael Barkla, who had "crawled around on his hands and knees" in the state park for more than 15 years, said the planned burn would destroy a unique habitat for threatened plants and animals.

"This particular piece of bush has got several species that are not recorded anywhere else in Victoria," he said.

Various fungi, orchids, wild flowers and the nationally listed Eltham Copper Butterfly were among species which called the section of state forest home.

"And there are a lot of species in there as well which are only in one or two places Victoria," Mr Barkla said.

"But there is nowhere in Australia where they are all together. This is the only place."

Mr Barkla said fauna in the bush was already struggling after months of low rain and the burn would be catastrophic for future growth.

"You can basically say this [bush] will be murdered," he said.

FFMV said their fire fuel management programs reduced the spread and intensity of bushfires and made suppression more achievable.

They also aimed to mimic the natural cycles of fire to suit plants and animals in the area.

But Mr Wellard said research pointed to the planned burn doing more harm then good.

"We are arguing that leaving this [bush] for 150 years would mean it actually becomes a fire break," he said.

"Burning it will turn it into fuel ... it will be fuel production ... it will become more of a problem."

Mr Wellard said common tree types which grew after planned burning also increased fire risk.

The group had contacted the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action to ask for specifics on why the 153-hectare section needed to be burnt but had not received an answer.

"We have so few bits of land where 150 years of natural healing and natural growth ... and we would like to see a proper ecological study done on it before they burn it," Mr Wellard said.

Protesters planned to camp out overnight Friday, April 26 and from 6am on Saturday, April 27.

The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action were contacted for comment.