The sky was thick with smoke near Greenvale again last week.
Luckily, this was not an out-of-control fire but two planned burns at Woodlands Historic Park that were managed by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) and Parks Victoria crews. The burns were conducted to help boost the habitat of a small rabbit-sized marsupial known as the Eastern barred bandicoot.
The endangered bilby-lookalike species is considered extinct in the wild but has been reintroduced into three protected sites in Victorian grasslands, including Woodlands Historic Park.
DEPI east metropolitan district manager Dan White said the 91-hectare burn at Woodlands Hill would help enhance the habitat of the Eastern barred bandicoot population in the region by reducing weeds and regenerating native grasses.
“Another 6.3-hectare burn planned for the adjacent Back Paddock area on the southern side of the park will also help to expand the bandicoot habitat,” Mr White said.
