Bushfire season is upon us and seems to be getting longer with the unexpected hot spells of the end of winter. In the Coffs Harbour region we recently had our hottest ever winters day, at over 35 degrees. This brings with it the reminder that we need to be bushfire prepared even earlier than previous years.
Are you confident as a rural property owner that you have done everything you can to minimise the risk of wildfire on your land? Do you have a planned fire regime in place for your property? Or are you clear on the legislation for clearing boundaries and creating fire trails? Or the free available support for landowners?
In this blog we have collated some of the best advice from the Rural Fire Service and our Fire Practitioner partners into one handy reference that’s a must read for staying safe this bushfire season. Make sure to share this with your neighbours also!
Understanding the fire risks on your property
Bush fire hazards are any materials which can fuel a fire, such as:
- Leaf litter and forest debris
- Grass
- Trees
- Woodpiles
- Solid combustibles
- Flammable liquids and gases.
The nearer these are located to people, property or livestock the greater the risk.
Bushfire hazard reduction
So what action should landholders take to protect their property and livelihood from risk of catastrophic wildfire?
It all starts with a fire risk assessment and creation of a farm fire management plan. This includes how you aim to use fire as a management tool to minimise wildfire risk and incorporating the effective use and management of your infrastructure (such as dams, bores, internal roads and tracks). This can be done whilst aiding regermination and ultimately regeneration of plants and trees as part of a long term healthy active forest management plan.
Before undertaking bush fire hazard reduction, you may need to gain a bush fire hazard reduction certificate or fire permit, for your own safety as well as the safety of any neighbouring properties.
Bush fire hazard reduction certificates – can be obtained by your local Fire Control Centre free of charge. Approvals detail the specific conditions to be adhered to.
Fire permits issued by your local Fire Control Centre are required for burning activities during the Bush Fire Danger Period.
Whether it’s clearing your boundary, creating a fire trail or clearing a perimeter around your property. There are tools available to help you mitigate your bush fire risk through creating fire breaks.
- 10/50 Vegetation Clearing Entitlement
The 10/50 Vegetation Clearing Scheme provides another way of being better prepared for bushfires. Under this legislation you can do the following without an approval:
- Clear trees on your property within 10 metres of a home or farm shed.
- Clear underlying shrubs (not trees) on your property within 50 metres of a home.
The Rural Fire Service have put together a handy tool enabling you to check if your property is located in a 10/50 vegetation clearing entitled area.
RFS Tool – Check your property for Vegetation Clearing Entitlement
- Rural Boundary Clearing
The Rural Boundary Clearing Code helps landholders in identified rural bushfire prone areas remove vegetation including trees from within 25 metres of their property boundary to help prevent fire spreading. There are some clear exceptions including if the trees are core koala habitat, critically endangered or determined as key for strategic biodiversity.
RFS Tool – Rural Boundary Clearing Entitlement
- Fire Trails
Throughout NSW there are approximately 1.3 million properties on bush fire prone land. Fire trails play an important role in bush fire management across NSW. Most are located on state or crown owned land, however in some areas there may be a need for a fire trail on private property. In this case, the RFS will seek to enter into an agreement with the landholder to establish, maintain and access the fire trail.
Do you have a Farm Fire Plan?
The Rural Fire Service are committed to supporting farmers through initiatives including Farm Fire Units and Rural Liaison Officers. They aim to collaborate with farmers and rural communities to ensure safer communities, recognising the important work that farmers do in the management of fire.
Read more about Farm Fire Safety from the Rural Fire Service.
Sustainable Forest Management encourages landholders to learn as much as they can about the safe and effective use of fire for vegetation management on their land. Local, knowledgeable fire practitioners can support rural agricultural property owners to safely use fire as part of an active land management plan. A local operator in the Coffs Clarence region is Envite, who run Cool Mosaic Burning workshops in the Clarence Valley.
Sustainable forest management goes far beyond just timber harvesting; it’s the foundation for long-term forest stewardship.
If you are the owner of a bush fire prone property, now is the time to act. Reach out to your local Fire Control Centre or connect with Sustainable Forest Management today. Contact Siman and the team at 1300 367 378 to begin your journey toward sustainable forest stewardship.