Gundagai
Indicator: Fire
Results for this indicator are also available for [an error occurred while processing this directive]
What the results tell us for Gundagai
Available data indicate that 478 hectares of land was burnt in Gundagai Shire during the current reporting period from prescribed burns. No information was available on the effects of fire on fire sensitive vegetation communities that occur in the Shire.
High fire frequency is considered a threat to at least two threatened species within the Shire (NSW Scientific Committee 2008). Inappropriate fire frequencies are considered a threat to one threatened species, the Superb Parrot, and may put more threatened plant and animal species at risk (DECC, 2008c).
Gundagai Shire may have occurrences of six threatened ecological communities listed in nationally or in New South Wales (NSW) (DECC, 2008a; DECC, 2008b, DEWHA, 2008a). (note: threatened ecological community lists are generated based on Bioregions). All 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 bushfire risk management plan was prepared for the Shire during the previous reporting period to guide fire management strategies.
Occurrence of fires
Three separate wildfires occurred during the current reporting period, however no information is available on areas burnt by these wildfires.
Rural Fire Service data indicates that about 478 hectares of land were reported to have been subject to hazard reduction burns in 2004–2008. It is unclear whether these burns are likely to include only those attended to by local Fire Brigades or those undertaken by private landholders.
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 these activities 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. The effects and rate of recovery of plant communities exposed to the impacts of fire may also be affected by broader ecological pressures such as infestation by weeds, grazing pressure, drought, changed hydrology and invasive species.
No information is available on the effects of wildfires and hazard reduction burns on vegetation communities within the Gundagai Shire over the reporting period.
Impacts on fire sensitive species and communities
No information is available on whether fire sensitive species or communities that occur in Gundagai Shire were impacted by control or wildfires during the current reporting period.
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.
Of the endangered or vulnerable species that occur in the Shire (see Native species), high frequency fire is considered to be a threatening process to two vulnerable mammal species, the Squirrel Glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) and Spotted-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) (NSW Scientific Committee 2004). When it occurs, high frequency fire is resulting in the disruption of life cycle processes in plants and animals and loss of vegetation structure and composition.
There is one priority action under the "habitat management: fire" recovery strategy in the Gundagai Shire Council. These actions apply to one threatened species, the Superb Parrot (Polytelis swainsonii) (DECC, 2008c). A priority action is to insure that planned burns do not have the potential to destroy nest trees. Other threatened plant and animal species present there may also be at risk if subject to fires at an inappropriate frequency.
Inappropriate fire regimes are considered a threat to these communities (DECC 2004; DEH 2005), although the extent to which they may have been affected by fire is not known. Of the threatened animal and plant species known or predicted to occur in the Shire that may be present in box/gum and grassy white box woodland communities (DECC 2004; SWDBFMC 2002), three animal species and four plant species are also at risk from fire or inappropriate fire regimes.
Gundagai Shire may contain six ecological communities listed endangered or critically endangered within NSW or nationally (see Ecological communities) (DECC, 2008a; DECC, 2008b; DEWHA, 2008a). (Note: threatened ecological community lists are generated based on Bioregions). Four threatened communities are listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, two are listed under the Commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Inappropriate fire regimes are considered a threat to all of these threatened vegetation communities (DECC 2008b; DEWHA, 2008b). Inappropriate and high intensity fires are a threat to Montane Peatlands and Swamps of the New England Tableland, NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin, South East Corner, South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregion. No information is available on the effects of fire within this community during the current reporting period.
Inappropriate fire regimes are considered a threat to White Box Yellow Box Blakely's Red Gum woodland, White Box Yellow Box Blakely's Red Gum Grassy Woodlands and Derived Native Grasslands and Natural temperate grasslands of the Southern Tablelands of NSW and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) communities and Inland Grey Box; Murray-Darling Depression, Riverina and NSW South Western Slopes bioregions (DECC 2008b), although the extent to which they may have been affected by fire during the reporting period is not known.
Fuzzy Box Woodland on alluvial Soils of the South Western Slopes; Darling Riverine Plains and Brigalow Belt South Bioregions is threatened by a lack of fire. No information was available on the remaining threatened vegetation communities in terms of the extent to which they may have been affected by fire during the reporting period. No information was available to assess the impact of inappropriate fire regimes on this community during the current reporting period.
Potential impacts on other species and communities
Remnant vegetation plays an important role in safeguarding biodiversity in terms of providing habitat requirements for a diverse range of fauna and flora once widespread in Australia. Many of the species they support have become increasingly rare across broad areas of their former distribution due to extensive habitat destruction and modification for agriculture and pastoralism. Remnant vegetation, including roadside remnants, is an important refuge for fauna and flora, some of which may be affected by inappropriate fire regimes and/or high frequency fire. The resilience of remnant vegetation and their associated fauna to the effects of fire may also be undermined by cumulative effects of other ecological factors including grazing pressure, invasive species, drought and changed hydrology (salinity and/or drainage).
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 planning considerations to be taken into account for developments in bushfire prone areas.
Gundagai Bushfire Management Committee
The Gundagai Bushfire Management Committee developed a Bushfire Risk Management Plan during the previous reporting period (GBFMC 2002). This document indicates bushfire risk across the Shire and outlines strategies which land managers will undertake to manage identified bushfire risks. The plan addresses protection of natural and cultural values and protection of life and property.
Shire Council and other land management agencies are required to develop their own programs for implementing the strategies outlined in the bushfire risk management plan. Under this plan, Gundagai Shire Council has sole responsibility to communicate the plan's objectives and strategies to private land managers and to ensure these strategies are implemented in the Shire.
Gundagai Shire Council
During the previous reporting period the Shire Council became a part of the Riverina Highlands Rural Fire Service Zone with Tumbarumba and Tumut Shire Councils. Gundagai Shire Council remains committed to providing volunteer support, however it has lessened its involvement in operational and financial control of Rural Fire Service activities.
The Shire Council has commenced mapping for the introduction of a Bushfire Management Plan. The Plan will be formulated in conjunction with the mapping requirements that will be implemented as part of a comprehensive review of the LEP that is currently underway.
Other agencies
Gundagai Rural Lands Protection Board, whose administrative area includes Gundagai Shire, has a Travelling Stock Reserve Management Plan which incorporates fire management and details all works for fire management to be undertaken on the reserves. Actions within the Gundagai Travelling Stock Reserve Management Plan relating to fire include (Gundagai RLPB 2005):
- strategic burning for weed management on reserves
- monitor seasonal fuel loads
- ensure management burns are approved
- reintroduce fire regimes, in consultation with the Rural Fire Service, into areas susceptible to woody weeds to reduce the threat of invasion
- routine grazing to minimise bushfire hazard
- reduce threat of fire to adjoining lands.
References
DECC – see Department of Environment and Climate Change
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. shp, 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 13 October 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, Gundagai Shire Council, viewed 13 October 2008, http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/pas_lga_recovery_
details.aspx?lga=Gundagai%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
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
DEWHA – see Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GBFMC—see Gundagai Bush Fire Management Committee
Gundagai Bush Fire Management Committee (2002) Gundagai Bush Fire Management Committee – Bush Fire Risk Management Plan, NSW Rural Fire Service.
Gundagai RLPB—see Gundagai Rural Lands Protection Board
Gundagai Rural Lands Protection Board (2005) Gundagai Rural Lands Protection Board Travelling Stock Reserves Management Plan 2006, Gundagai Rural Lands Protection Board.
NSW Scientific Committee (2008) Ecological consequences of high frequency fires - key threatening process declaration, final determination, accessed 9 October 2008, http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspecies/EcologicalConsequences
FiresKTPListing.htm
NSW Rural Fire Service (2003) Bush Fire Environmental Assessment Code for Asset Protection and Strategic Fire Advantage Zones, NSW Rural Fire Service.
NSW Rural Fire Service and Planning NSW (2001) Planning for Bushfire Protection: a guide for Councils, planners, fire authorities, developers and home owners, Planning NSW, viewed 26 August 2005,
RFS—see NSW Rural Fire Service
South West District Bush Fire Management Committee (2002) South West District Bush Fire Management Committee – Bush Fire Risk Management Plan, NSW Rural Fire Service.
SWDBFMC—see South West District Bush Fire Management Committee
