Snowy River
Indicator: Fire
Results for this indicator are also available for [an error occurred while processing this directive]
What the results tell us for Snowy River
Available data indicate that at least 551 hectares of land were burnt in Snowy River 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.
The NSW Rural Fire Service considers there should no fire in populations of ten threatened plant and animal species that occur in the Shire. High fire frequency is considered a threat to at least two vulnerable or endangered animal species known to occur there, and inappropriate fire frequencies may put more threatened plant and animal species at risk.
Snowy River Shire may have occurrences of five threatened ecological communities listed nationally or in New South Wales (NSW) (see Ecological communities) (DECC, 2008a; DECC, 2008b; DEWHA, 2008a) (note: threatened ecological community lists are generated based on Bioregions). Four 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 under review for the current reporting period to guide fire management strategies.
Occurrence of fires
Data provided by the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) and NSW Rural Fire Service indicate that at least 551 hectares of land were burnt in Snowy River Shire during the current reporting periods.
Three separate wildfires occurred within the Shire during the current reporting period, however no information is available on areas burnt by these wildfires.
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. 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 Snowy River Shire over the reporting period. The bushfire characteristics of major vegetation types in the Shire are outlined in the Snowy River Shire Bush Fire Management Plan (SRSBFC 1999, Section 2.2.3).
Impacts on fire sensitive species and communities
Nine fire-sensitive communities in the 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. The fire sensitive communities include vegetation dominated by Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) and Snow Gum (E. pauciflora).
Mountain Ash requires a high intensity fire about once every 50 to 100 years to complete its life cycle but more frequent fire can lead to the species being totally or partially replaced in forest communities by more fire tolerant species such as Manna Gum (E. viminalis) and Mountain Gum (E. dalrympleana). As Mountain Ash regenerates only from seed stored in the soil or shed during fires, the stands will eventually be lost if regenerating trees are burnt before maturity (50 years plus) (Good 2003).
All the above-ground parts of Snow Gum trees are killed by even low intensity fires, but the trees resprout rapidly after burning from lignotubers. While snow gums can regenerate after three or four close interval wildfires, the trees will die if this type of fire regime is maintained over an extended period of time (Good 2003). The Snow Gum ecological community will survive the fires and maintain its distribution, but its structural and understorey diversity will remain very depleted for many years (Good 2003).
Potential impacts on threatened species and communities
The NSW Rural Fire Service (2003) recommends that there be no fire in populations of ten threatened species (seven plants, two mammals, and one reptile) recorded in Snowy River Shire.
Of the other endangered or vulnerable species in the Shire, high frequency fire is considered to be a threatening process to one mammal species (Spotted-tailed Quoll, Dasyurus maculatus) and one bird species (Glossy Black Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus lathami) (NSW Scientific Committee 2008). Other threatened plant and animal species present there may also be at risk if subject to fires at an inappropriate frequency.
There are six priority actions under the "habitat management: fire" recovery strategy in the Shire. These actions apply to five threatened species (two marsupials, two bats and one plant) (DECC, 2008c).
Priority actions to conserve the Eastern Bentwing-bat (Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis) include to exclude prescription burns from 100m from cave entrance, 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 to include operational guidelines to promotes 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 Service and seeking inclusion of mitigative measures on Bush Fire Risk Management Plan(s), the risk register and/or operation map(s) (DECC, 2008c).
Snowy River Shire may contain five threatened ecological communities listed as 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). Two are listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, three are listed under the Commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Five of these threatened communities with occurrences in the Shire are considered at risk from inappropriate fire regimes and/or high intensity fires. No information is available on the extent of these communities that may have been affected by fire during the current reporting period.
Significant ecological damage may result from fire in the Montane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland, NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin, South East Corner, South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregions and Upland Wetlands of the New England Tablelands and the Monaro Plateau communities. The former may be distinguished from the latter by several biological and physical characteristics. (DECC, 2008b; DEWHA, 2008b).
Inappropriate fire regimes are considered a threat to the 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 ACT communities (DECC 2008b; DEWHA, 2008). No information is available on the extent of these communities that may have been affected by fire during the current reporting period.
Potential impacts on other species and communities
Important remnants of native vegetation may occur in travelling stock reserves, cemeteries and crown reserves. No data were available on the types of species/ecosystems affected. Remnant vegetation communities are particularly vulnerable to impacts such as fire due to their small size, isolation and large edge effects. This is compounded by the cumulative effects of other pressures such as climate change, salinity, grazing pressure and invasive species of plants and animals.
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.
Snowy River Shire Council
The Snowy River Shire Bush Fire Management Committee developed a Bush Fire Risk Management Plan during the 1996-2000 reporting period (SRSBFMC 1999). This document maps bushfire risk across the Snowy River Shire 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.
The Shire Council and other land management agencies are required to develop their own programs for implementing the strategies outlined in this bush fire risk management plan. Under the plan, the 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.
The Regional Management Plan has been under review. There have been a number of public consultation meetings to determine future needs in relation to fire management.
The Rural Fire Service is looking at implementing future landscape plans which focus on the management of fuel accumulation in the Snowy River area.
Other agencies
A range of remediation, research and monitoring activities were undertaken in Kosciuszko National Park by various agencies after severe fires there in the 2002–03 fire season, to help assess post-fire recovery and assist with planning for future fire management. Fire management in the park is covered in some detail within the park management plan rather than in a discrete fire management plan.
Since the 2002–03 bushfires, the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre has established the Highfire Project to do scientific research on issues relating to fire management in the high country. Funded by the Australian Government for three years, the outcomes of this project will provide an evidence base from which land and fire managers can improve the policies and practices used to mitigate the effects of wildfire events on people, property and ecosystem values. Further information on this project can be obtained from the Bushfire CRC website.
The Cooma Rural Lands Protection Board, whose administrative area includes Snowy River Shire, has a management plan for travelling stock routes. Actions within the Cooma Travelling Stock Reserve Management Plan relating to fire include (Cooma RLPB 2003):
- monitoring seasonal fuel loads
- routine grazing to minimise bushfire hazard
- ensuring management burns are approved
- reducing threat of fire to adjoining lands.
References
Cooma RLPB—see Cooma Rural Lands Protection Board
Cooma Rural Lands Protection Board (2003) Cooma Rural Lands Protection Board Travelling Stock Reserves Five Year Management Plan for 2003 to 2008, Cooma Rural Lands Protection Board, viewed 29 May 2006, http://www.rlpb.org.au/southern_tablelands/cooma/local/management_plans/man_plan.htm.
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 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 , viewed 13 October 2008, http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/pas_lga_recovery_
details.aspx?lga=SnowyRiver%20Shire Council&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
Good, R (2003) Vegetation Responses to the January Fires in the Mountains, notes from a presentation by Roger Good to the Snowy and Southwest Slopes Advisory Committees.
Keith DA (1996) Fire-driven mechanisms of extinction in vascular plants: a review of empirical and theoretical evidence in Australian vegetation. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 116, 37-78.
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.
