http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Firebreaks-pretty-useless-green-groups/2007/10/22/1192940974872.html

Environmental campaigners are calling for more independent scientific research to determine the best solutions for protecting Victoria's forests from bushfires.

In the aftermath of last summer's devastating bushfires that destroyed almost 1.2 million hectares across Victoria - the state government authorised a 600km network of fire breaks to protect water catchment areas and create better access for firefighters.

But the Wilderness Society is calling for a "dramatic rethinking" of current fire management policies, saying the fire breaks - including some up to one kilometre wide - amount to the "indiscriminate" and unnecessary destruction of pristine wilderness areas.

"We would prefer to see more expenditure and investment in infrastructure - for example, bring in more water-bombing helicopters - and a quicker response to fire outbreaks.

"Fire breaks and fuel reduction measures around populated areas is great for protecting people and properties and local communities but large-scale fire reduction measures in remote areas is very unnecessary and quite indiscriminate."

The disastrous fire season prompted the state government to launch a parliamentary inquiry to examine the impact of public land management practices on the frequency and intensity of bushfires.

The inquiry's brief also included examining the effectiveness of prescribed burns and permanent fire breaks, the provision of large water access points on crown land and the impact of climate change and land use on bushfires.

Mr McFadzean said bulldozing huge tracts of land to create fire breaks in remote areas also served to further the interest of the commercial logging industry.

"You cannot treat Victoria's forests as a single, homogenous landscape - different approaches are needed for different areas.

"We'd also like to see an end to logging, which destroys wetter old growth forests and replaces it with young, dry and more fire-prone regrowth over vast areas."