Wind change saved forest

A Western Southland farmer could have lost about $300,000 of trees in a fire on Thursday had the wind direction been different, a fire officer said.

Southern Rural Fire Authority deputy principal officer Elton Smith said about a hectare of pine trees was burnt in the fire on a Wether Hill farm, north of Ohai, after it spread from a controlled burn off of bracken.

The controlled burn was started about lunch time, but the wind direction changed and carried embers 500 metres into an 18-hectare plantation of pines, worth about $300,000, he said.

The farmer was lucky it did not spread right through the plantation after the wind direction moved the flames along one side of it, rather than through the middle.

About eight fire crews, two helicopters and water tanks were used to get the fire under control.

The cost to put the fire out was about $20,000, which would be charged to the farm owner.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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HC #2   #2   12:40 pm Dec 04 2011

Perhaps the farmers should all undertake uncontrolled burn offs then?

HC   #1   10:19 am Dec 03 2011

When will farmers learn that controlled burns get out of control and that the wind and atmospheric conditions change rapidly? I have no sympathy at all.

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