Yass Valley
Indicator: Fire
Results for this indicator are also available for [an error occurred while processing this directive]
What the results tell us for Yass Valley
Available data indicate that 114ha. of land was burnt in Yass Valley Council area 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 Council area.
The New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service considers there should be no prescribed fire in populations of four threatened animal species that occur in the Council area. High fire frequency is considered a threat to at least one threatened fauna species known to occur there, and inappropriate fire frequencies may put more native species at risk, including those threatened.
Yass Council area may have occurrences of four threatened ecological communities listed nationally or in NSW (DECC, 2008a; DECC, 2008b; DEWHA, 2008a). (Note: threatened ecological community lists are generated based on Bioregions). All of these ecological communities are threatened by 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 Council area during the previous reporting period to guide fire management strategies.
Occurrence of fires
Rural Fire Service data indicates that about 114 hectares of land were reported to have been subject to hazard reduction burns in 2004–08.
Three wildfires occurred during the current reporting period, however no information is available on areas burnt by these wildfires. Billo Road wildfire was designated a Class 3 fire, which is a major fire that has the potential to reach a size that can’t be controlled by available resources, requiring a multi-agency response.
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 Yass Valley Council area over the reporting period. The bushfire characteristics of major vegetation types in the council area are outlined in the Yass Bush Fire Management Plan (YBFMC 2001, Section 2.2.3).
Impacts on fire sensitive species and communities
No information is available on the effect of fires on fire sensitive species or communities that occur in the Yass Valley Council area.
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. The NSW Rural Fire Service (2003) recommends that there be no prescribed fire in populations of four threatened animal species (two birds, one reptile, one invertebrate) recorded in the local government area.
Of the threatened plant and animal species that occur in the area, high frequency fire is considered to be a threatening process for one mammal species (Spotted-tailed Quoll, Dasyurus maculatus) (NSW Scientific Committee 2008), although other threatened plant and animal species present in the area may also be at risk if subject to fires at an inappropriate frequency.
Yass Council area may have occurrences of four threatened ecological communities listed nationally or in NSW (DECC, 2008a; DECC, 2008b; DEWHA, 2008a) (Note: threatened ecological community lists are generated based on Bioregions). Two threatened ecological communities are listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, two are listed under the under the Commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
All of these threatened ecological communities are considered at risk from inappropriate fire regimes and/or high intensity fires (DECC, 2008b, DEWHA, 2008b). Significant ecological damage may result from fire in the endangered 'Montane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland, NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin, South East Corner, South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregions' community (DECC, 2008b). 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.
Inappropriate fire regimes are considered a threat to the endangered '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 (DECC 2008b; DEWHA 2008b). No information was available to assess the impact of inappropriate fire regimes on these communities 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 that were 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).
Important remnants of native vegetation may occur in travelling stock reserves, cemeteries and crown reserves. No information was located on the extent to which such communities in the local government area may be threatened or have been affected by fire.
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.
Yass Bushfire Management Committee
The Yass Shire Bush Fire Management Committee developed a Bushfire Risk Management Plan during the previous reporting period (YSBFMC 2001). This document maps bushfire risk across the local government area 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.
Council and other land management agencies are required to develop their own programs for implementing the strategies outlined in this bushfire risk management plan. Yass Valley 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 Yass Valley Council area.
Yass Valley Council
During the previous reporting period, all Council development applications approved in Rural 1(a) zone were under the provisions of sections 79BA and 91 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (planning for bushfire prone areas, and bushfire prone land mapping). Building controls were also implemented in accordance with these two sections of the act. Development applications on bushfire prone land were referred to the Rural Fire Service. No information is available on specific fire management measures within the Yass Valley Council during the current reporting period.
Other agencies
The Yass Rural Lands Protection Board has a Travelling Stock Reserve Management Plan in place. Section 7 of the plan contains a fire management strategy. Actions within the Yass Travelling Stock Reserve Management Plan relating to fire include (Yass RLPB 2006):
- monitor seasonal fuel loadings
- reduce threat of fire to adjoining lands
- use grazing management to minimise bushfire hazard
- ensure management burns are approved.
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 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, Yass Shire Council viewed 13 October 2008, http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/pas_lga_recovery_details.aspx?
lga=Yass%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
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.
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/EcologicalConsequencesFiresKTPListing.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
Yass RLPB—see Yass Rural Lands Protection Board
Yass Rural Lands Protection Board (2006) Yass Rural Lands Protection Board TSR Management Plan 2006, Yass Rural Lands Protection Board.
Yass Shire Bush Fire Management Committee (2001) Bush Fire Risk Management Plan, Yass Shire Council, Yass.
YSBFMC—see Yass Shire Bush Fire Management Committee
