A PETITION calling for the removal of pine plantations in Mount Clear and Mount Helen to reduce the bushfire risk has been established.The petition was started by Mount Clear resident Ann Belcher, who believed thousands of lives were at risk by the upcoming bushfire season because of the pine plantations' proximity to residential areas and schools.Ms Belcher is calling on the City of Ballarat to work with the state government for the total removal of the plantations, which, she says, present a fire threat to Mount Clear, Mount Helen, Sebastopol, Mount Pleasant, Buninyong and Magpie.The petition states that Whitehorse Road, where part of the plantations front, is a vital evacuation route during a bushfire and should be made safe by the removal of all pine trees along the length of the road between Mount Clear and Sebastopol."Thousands of lives are potentially threatened by the continuation of these plantations and millions of dollars of assets, including homes, businesses, schools, pre-schools and kindergartens are threatened," Ms Belcher said.She believes little has been learnt from the fires in the area on New Year's Eve, 2009, adding the Mount Clear/Mount Helen district can not be fire-ready unless the pine plantations are removed.She believes the plantations are past their used-by date and present a fire danger to the area."There is the potential for disaster, but no-one is taking my concerns seriously," said Ms Belcher, who moved from Melbourne to Mount Clear five years ago.City of Ballarat chief executive officer Anthony Schinck said the council had taken an active role in brokering an outcome with the state government, plantation operators and Castlemaine Gold to ensure all areas populated near the plantations were brought into line with Country Fire Authority regulations to reduce the risks in the coming bushfire season."I acknowledge that further work needs to be done in future years to improve the safety of residents in those areas," Mr Schinck said.Ballarat East MP Geoff Howard said an agreement with plantation management to set up a fire buffer zone had been made.Mr Howard said that while it would cost a considerable amount of money to harvest the plantations before the upcoming bushfire season, he said removing the plantation could be an issue that was worth considering in the future."As the opportunity arises, an extension of the buffer zone could be considered. "There is also the issue of what the land could be used for if the plantations was cleared," Mr Howard said.Ms Belcher's petition is available for signing at the Mount Clear Newsagency in the Midvale Shopping Centre.