Bega Valley
Indicator: Fire
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What the results tell us for Bega Valley
Available data indicate that at least 11,149 hectares of land (approximately 1.8% of the Shire) were burned in Bega Valley Shire during the current reporting period; mostly from prescribed burns. No information was available on the effects of fire on fire-sensitive vegetation communities in the Shire.
The New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service advocates no prescribed burning in populations of sixteen threatened plant and animal species that occur in the Shire. High fire frequency is considered a key threatening process to six threatened fauna species and one threatened plant known to occur in the area (NSW Scientific Committee, 2008). Fire is considered a management priority for eight threatened fauna species and eight threatened plant species (DECC, 2008c). Inappropriate fire frequencies may put more threatened plant and animal species at risk.
Bega Shire is believed to have occurrences of 13 threatened ecological communities listed nationally or in NSW (DECC, 2008a; DECC, 2008b; DEWHA, 2008a). (Note: threatened ecological community lists are based on Bioregions). Eleven of these communities are at risk from fire or inappropriate fire regimes (DECC, 2008b; DEWHA, 2008b). No information was available to assess the impact of fire on these communities during the current reporting period.
A bush fire risk management plan was prepared for the Shire during the previous reporting period and is still applicable during the current period to guide fire management strategies and measures.
Occurrence of fires
Data provided by the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change and NSW Rural Fire Service indicate that at least 11,149 hectares of land in Bega Valley Shire were burned during the fire seasons in the current reporting period. Two wild fires accounted for 455 hectares of this total. One fire, the Brogo complex, was designated a Class 3 fire. These are major fires with the potential to reach a size that can’t be controlled by available resources and require a multi-agency response. This fire was started by lightning, and involved three separate fires, however was controlled effectively by a multi-agency response. The remainder resulted from prescribed burns. There is no specific information available on the number of vegetation communities affected by fire with in the Bega Valley Shire during July 2004 to June 2008.
Impacts of fires on native species and communities
Native animals and plants respond differently to fire. Some can persist under a range of fire regimes. However, in many cases, too frequent fire may harm species by killing them, preventing them from spreading, depleting the soil seed bank, or modifying their habitat. Planning for threatened species recovery in relation to fire may mean implementing variable fire regimes and excluding those that are detrimental. Fire management may involve managing hazard reduction activities such as slashing and mowing to prevent harmful fire regimes from impacting on species and their habitats.
The impact of fires on native plant and animal species and ecological communities varies with factors such as fire type, intensity and frequency, season of occurrence, and scale and patchiness of the burn. It may also be affected by broader human induced ecological factors such as infestation by weeds, changed hydrology and vegetation clearing.
No information is available on the effects of wildfires and hazard reduction burns on vegetation communities within the Bega Valley Shire over the reporting period. The bushfire characteristics of major vegetation types in the Shire are outlined in the Shire's Bush Fire Risk Management Plan (BVSBFMC 2001, Section 2.2.3).
Impacts on fire sensitive species and communities
Fifteen fire-sensitive communities in Bega Valley Shire were listed in the previous reporting period. No information is available on these communities or whether they were affected by fire during the reporting period. Rainforest and wet heath communities within the Shire are considered particularly vulnerable to inappropriate fire regimes (Miles 2000). The NSW Rural Fire Service (2003) recommends there should be no prescribed fire in rainforest vegetation which generally occurs in the Shire as small linear strips within sheltered gullies or on sheltered slopes at the top of the escarpment.
There is no specific data available on fire sensitive communities impacted by fire within Bega Valley Shire between July 2004 to June 2008.
Potential impacts on threatened species and communities
High frequency fire resulting in the disruption of life cycle processes in plants and animals and loss of vegetation structure and composition is listed as a key threatening process on Schedule 3 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.
High frequency fire is considered to be a threatening process for 16 endangered or vulnerable native plants and animal species that occur in the Shire; three marsupials, one rodent, two bats, one bird, one invertebrate and eight plants)(NSW Scientific Committee (2008). The NSW Rural Fire Service (2003) recommends that there be no prescribed fire in populations of these threatened species recorded in Bega Valley Shire. Other threatened plant and animal species may also be at risk if subject to fires at an inappropriate frequency.
High frequency fire is considered a threatening process for eight endangered or vulnerable animal species that occur in the Shire (NSW Scientific Committee, 2008).
| Order | Common name | Scientific name |
|---|---|---|
| Mammals: | Long-footed Potoroo | (Potorous longipes) |
| Long-nosed Potoroo | (Potorous tridactylus) | |
| Southern Brown Bandicoot | (Isoodon obesulus obesulus) | |
| Spotted-tailed Quoll | (Dasyurus maculates) | |
| Squirrel Glider | (Petaurus norfolcensis) | |
| Birds: | Eastern Bristlebird | (Dasyornis brachypterus) |
| Eastern Ground Parrot | ( Pezoporus wallicus wallicus) | |
| Glossy Black Cockatoo | (Calyptorhynchus lathami) |
Source: NSW Scientific Committee (2008):
There are 23 priority actions under the "habitat management: fire" recovery strategy in the Bega Valley Shire Council. These actions apply to 16 threatened species (8 animals and 8 plants) (DECC, 2008c).
Priority actions to conserve the Eastern Bentwing-bat (Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis) include to exclude prescription burns from 100m from cave entrances, ensure smoke/flames of fires do not enter caves/roosts in artificial structures, and prepare fire management plans for significant roost caves, disused mines, culverts, especially maternity and winter roosts. Priority actions to conserve the Common Blossom-bat (Syconycteris australis) include developing burning strategies that reduce impacts on preferred habitat in known foraging areas (DECC, 2008c).
Priority actions to conserve the Long-footed Potoroo (Potorous longipes) include ensuring the South East Forests National Park Fire Management Strategy includes operational guidelines to promote key Long-footed Potoroo habitat. Priority actions to conserve the Long-nosed Potoroo (Potorous tridactylus) include undertaking control burns using a mosaic pattern to ensure adequate vegetation cover. Priority actions to conserve the Lacy Pomaderris (Pomaderris elachophylla) include providing a map of known occurrences to Rural Fire Services and seeking inclusion of mitigative measures on Bush Fire Risk Management Plans, the risk register and/or operation maps (DECC, 2008c).
Priority actions to conserve the remaining 11 threatened species can be viewed on the link provided in the references under (DECC, 2008c).
Bega Shire may be habitat for 16 threatened communities listed as endangered or critically endangered within NSW or nationally (DECC, 2008a; DECC, 2008b; DEWHA, 2008a). (Note: threatened ecological community lists are generated based on Bioregions). Fourteen threatened communities are listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, three are listed under the Commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (see Ecological communities).
At least 11 of the 13 threatened ecological communities are considered at risk from inappropriate fire regimes and/or frequent or high intensity fires (DECC, 2008b, DEWHA, 2008b). No information is available on the extent to which any of these communities have been affected by fire during the current reporting period. Urbanisation and associated fire management regimes, particularly high frequency fire, can also adversely affect the endangered community River-flat eucalypt forest on coastal floodplains of the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner bioregions (DECC, 2008c).
The community 'Montane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland, NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin, South East Corner, South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregions' has been assigned a major fire risk classification (BVSBFMC 2001). A small area of this community occurs in the South East Forests National Park. Significant ecological damage may result from fire in peatland communities and all attempts should be made to exclude fire from these areas.
The NSW Rural Fire Service recommends that prescribed fire be excluded from the endangered communities of Brogo wet vine forest in the South East Corner Bioregion and Dry Rainforest of the South East Forests in the South East Corner Bioregion (DECC, 2008b). The NSW Rural Fire Service recommends that prescribed fire be used no more than once every five years in the endangered community Lowland Grassy Woodland in the South East Corner bioregion, formally divided into 'Bega dry grass forest in the South East Corner Bioregion' and 'Candelo dry grass forest in the South East Corner Bioregion'.
Fire is considered a threat to the Littoral Rainforest community in the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner bioregions, particularly along its boundaries. A changed fire regime is a threat to 'Brogo Wet Vine Forest in the South East Corner Bioregion. Dry Rainforest of the South East Forests in the South East Corner Bioregion' is likely to be adversely affected by fire because of the number of fire-sensitive species in the community (DECC, 2008c).
The viability of Lowland Grassy Woodland in the South East Corner Bioregion communities may be reduced by altered fire frequencies within some patches, especially when existing as remnants. River-Flat Eucalypt Forest on Coastal Floodplains of the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner bioregions is threatened by frequent burning which reduces the diversity of woody plant species. Communities of Swamp oak floodplain forest of the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner bioregions, particularly those within urbanised regions, may also be exposed to frequent burning which reduces the diversity of woody plant species (DECC, 2008c).
Potential impacts on other species and communities
Significant vegetation communities within Bega Valley Shire that are not listed as threatened include northern riparian scrub, dune dry shrub forest and vegetation occurring on many of the Shire's roadsides (Miles 2000). Important remnants of native vegetation may also occur in travelling stock reserves, cemeteries and crown reserves. No information was located on the extent to which such communities in the Shire may be threatened or have been affected by fire.
While heathland species in the Shire are generally well adapted to fire, Miles (2000) noted that too-frequent fires could result in local extinction of some species.
Fire management
Laws and policies
The Rural Fires Act 1997 is the main State Government law relating to fire management in NSW, although the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 also contain clauses relating to fire and fire management. For more information on these laws, see ‘Government laws and policies’.
The NSW Rural Fire Service has developed several policy documents and guidelines relating to fire management, including the Bush Fire Environmental Assessment Code (RFS 2003) and Planning for Bushfire Protection (RFS and Planning NSW 2001). The former lists threatened species, threatened populations and endangered ecological communities to be addressed when undertaking hazard reduction burns, and specifies conditions relating to the use of fire and mechanical forms of hazard reduction for each species, population or community. The planning document outlines considerations to be taken into account for developments in bushfire prone areas.
Bega Valley Shire Bush Fire Management Committee
Council continued its role as a member of the Bega Valley Shire Bushfire Committee and worked co-operatively with the other member agencies in the implementation of the Risk Management Plan. This document maps bushfire risk across the Shire (Section 3.4) and outlines strategies that land managers will undertake to manage identified bushfire risks.
The plan addresses protection of natural and cultural values and protection of life and property, and also provides information relating to threatened species, populations, communities and critical habitat. It refers to approved Recovery Plans and the specific fire management requirements for each species or community. This plan is in the process of review and change to a new Risk Planning Process under the Bushfire Risk Information Management Systems (BRIMS) format, due by the end of 2008.
Council and other land management agencies are required to develop their own programs for implementing the strategies outlined in this bushfire risk management plan. Under the plan, Bega Valley Shire Council has sole responsibility to communicate the plan's objectives and strategies to private land managers and to ensure the strategy is implemented in the Shire.
Low intensity prescribed burns are largely restricted to areas of dry eucalypt forest, woodlands and some heath land areas. Fuel management in localised areas will have an impact on some species of wildlife, with those depending on a dense understorey of shrubs being the most likely to be adversely affected. In many situations the development of dense shrub layers in areas of dry forest has been strongly affected by recent human intervention in suppressing fires that may have otherwise burned into such areas. In the longer term, in dry eucalypt forests, frequent fire may favour replacement of shrub and regrowth eucalypt communities with grassland, disadvantaging shrub dependent species. Whilst adversely affecting shrub dependent species, the promotion of ground forage favours some species which prefer forest with an open grassy understorey condition, such as some macropods. A mosaic of burnt and unburnt areas can increase habitat diversity thus catering to the habitat requirements of a wider diversity of species.
Planning at the strategic level (as is the purpose of this plan) aims to protect human life and property values while minimising detrimental impacts on the environment of intense broad area wildfires and too frequent or infrequent prescribed fire. Where prescribed fire is used as one of the tools to achieve this, the aim is to burn sufficiently frequently to prevent general fuel accumulations which may carry high intensity wildfires, while burning at long enough intervals to ensure the continued survival of plant species and habitat for wildlife.
This can best be achieved through a broad cyclical mosaic of hazard reduced areas across those parts of the Shire where fuel reduction is to be practised (predominantly dry eucalypt forest types) with the added knowledge that most broad area fuel reduction in fact leaves a patchwork of burnt and unburnt sections.
The extent of area identified for more frequent treatment (areas in hazard management zones one and two) is commensurate with the level of bush fire risk in the Shire (i.e. bush fire risk to specific community and environmental asset areas). These zones are strategically located to achieve the appropriate level of asset protection whilst minimising the area to be treated, thus assisting to minimise environmental impact.
Bega Valley Shire Council
Bega Valley Shire Council is responsible for the care, control and management of public reserves which it owns or which are vested in it as trustees under the Crown Lands Act 1987. These and other public lands owned or vested in Council are referred to as Community Lands.
Council is required to prepare a plan of management for the community land for which it has responsibility. In revising these plans, Council will review its fire management requirements. Council is also responsible for issuing its own hazard reduction certificates as part of its reserve bushfire hazard reduction program. This system is being conducted through with Rural Fire Service. Work is progressing in the area of Council reserve fire management (BVSBFMC 2001).
The reporting period saw Council’s reserve fire hazard reduction works continue to be a primarily maintenance-based program. The program has incorporated inspections, some physical works and maintenance of the Asset Protection Zones (APZ’s) and access tracks that have been created and rehabilitated in the last five years. The program took in Council property (Community Land Reserves and Operational Lands) and Council managed Crown Reserves. Council has also undertaken maintenance of APZs on Crown Land managed by the Department of Lands, under a contract arrangement.
During January 2007 Section 44 Brogo Emergency Council staff played important support roles to the Rural Fire Service and other State Agency personnel in the planning and logistic sectors of the operation. Fortunately the large amount of resources dedicated to the controlling this fire by the State Government ensured that it did not escape the Brogo Wilderness and threaten the many rural properties in the Brogo area (Bega Annual Report, 2007).
Other agencies
The South Coast Rural Lands Protection Board, whose administrative area takes in Bega Valley Shire, has a management plan for travelling stock routes. Actions within the South Coast Travelling Stock Reserve Management Plan relating to fire management include (Lennon 2003):
- undertake control burns to manage or protect native pasture
- monitor seasonal fuel loadings routine grazing to minimise bushfire hazard
- ensure management burns are approved
- notify neighbouring properties of controlled burning activities
- ensure compliance with local Bush Fire Management Plan
- ensure campfire and barbeque sites on reserves are maintained clear of combustible material and are signposted with requirements of fire lighting and management.
References
DECC refers to Department of Environment and Climate
DEWHA refers to Commonwealth Department of Environment , Water, Heritage and the Arts
Bega Valley Shire Bush Fire Management Committee (2001) Bush Fire Risk Management Plan, Bega Valley Shire Council, Bega.
Bega Valley Shire Council (2007) Bega Valley Shire Council Annual Report 2006/2007, Bega Valley Shire Council.
Department of Environment and Climate Change (2008a) List of Endangered Populations, Endangered Ecological Communities, Critical Habitat and Key Threatening Processes that may potentially occur within the BOOROWA LGA provided by ACT Commissioner for the Sustainability and the Environment from Threatened Species Data Officer Spatial Data Programs, Department of Environment and Climate Change
Department of Environment and Climate Change (2008b), Threatened Species – species, populations and ecological communities in NSW, search on endangered ecological community, viewed 14 June 2008, http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/home_species.aspx
Department of Environment and Climate Change (2008c), Threatened Species – species, populations and ecological communities in NSW , Recovery and threat abatement, Bega Shire Council, viewed 13 October 2008, http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/pas_lga_recovery_
details.aspx?lga=Bega%20Valley%20Shire%20Council&type=habitat+management:+fire
Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (Commonwealth) (2008a) Environmental Reporting Tool, Database Report, viewed October 2008, http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/erin/ert/ert_dispatch.pl?loc_type=lga&search=Search&report=ert
Commonwealth Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (Commonwealth) (2008b), Biodiversity, search on endangered ecological community, viewed October 2008, http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/index.html
Lennon, R (2003) South Coast Rural Lands Protection Board TSR/SWP Management Plan Document—Five Year Management Plan for 2002 to 2007, South Coast Rural Lands Protection Board.
Miles, J and Roche, G (2004) Guide to the management of roadside sites with significant native vegetation, Bega Valley Shire Council, Bega.
NSW Rural Fire Service (2003) Bush Fire Environmental Assessment Code for Asset Protection and Strategic Fire Advantage Zones, NSW Rural Fire Service.
NSW Scientific Committee (2008) Ecological consequences of high frequency fires - key threatening process declaration, final determination, accessed 13 October 2008, http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/Ecological+ consequences+of+high+frequency+fires+key+threatening+process+declaration
