Penrith Bush Fire Management Committee Bush Fire Risk ...

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PENRITH BUSH FIRE MANAGEMENTCOMMITTEE DRAFT BUSH FIRE RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN operation, lighting patterns will reflect the need to minimise smoke drift into smoke sensitive areas. Specific traffic control measures will be put in place where there is any likelihood of hazards due to smoke on roads. Operational measures to reduce the impact of smoke during the implementation of hazard reduction burns are to be incorporated into burning prescriptions for all hazard reduction burning operations. Areas requiring special protection from the adverse effects of smoke are listed below: • Jamison Private Hospital Jamison Road Jamisontown. • Emaus Retirement Village Bakers Lane Erskine Park. • Wallacia Retirement Village Greendale Road Wallacia 5.3.6 Catchment Protection (Protection of Soil and Water values) Forests, heathlands and grasslands have a vital catchment role, providing water supplies for agricultural and domestic purposes. The vegetative cover is important in maintaining stream flow, preserving water quality and ensuring a high level of erosion control. Properly implemented prescribed burning can have positive impacts on water quality. For example, Scott and Schulze (1992), recommend that fuel management programs be implemented in eucalypt forested catchments to prevent extreme soil heating during wildfires and subsequent accelerated erosion. On the other hand, high intensity wildfires and poorly implemented prescribed fires can have detrimental effects on soil conservation and catchment protection values. Maintenance of full vegetation cover in and adjacent to drainage lines can be achieved by exclusion of fuel reduction burning from these areas, or by burning under mild conditions, using the moisture gradient from upper slope to gully. Scott and Schulze (1992) report that unburnt riparian strips are effective soil and ash traps following wildfire, and would be even more effective following low intensity prescribed fire. Operational measures to protect soil and water values during the implementation of hazard reduction burns are to be incorporated into burning prescriptions for all hazard reduction burning operations by all land management agencies. 5.3.7 Pest and Weed Management Many pest species are strongly influenced by the presence of fire. Weed species may spread and out compete native species after fire events whilst vertebrate pests (such as foxes and cats) may gain an advantage during post fire periods through improved competition over native species. In contrast, rabbits may be provided with harbouring areas through the lack of clearance by fire, effectively avoiding predation by foxes and native birds of prey. Agencies have in accordance with the Noxious Weeds Act the responsibility to manage weed species on their lands. Most Councils have weed eradication programs which are linked into local Landcare or bush regeneration programs. The National Parks and Wildlife Service and State Forests on NSW also have pest and weed eradication programs managed through Pest Species Officers and these programs are coordinated with fire management programs in order to minimise weed invasion and the impact from vertebrate pest species on native wildlife. Rural Lands Protection Boards provide assistance in the identification and extent of any vertebrate pest species as well as the extent of weed species. The details of vertebrate pest and weed species management programs will be found in Agency management plans. Across the Penrith Council area, the following pest and weed species are of particular concern and require management post fire: Weeds/grasses Common Name Scientific Name Weed Lantana Lantana camara Page 36
PENRITH BUSH FIRE MANAGEMENTCOMMITTEE DRAFT BUSH FIRE RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN Weed Blackberry Rubus fructosus Weed Africa Olive Olea europaea Grass Kikuyu Pennisetum clandestinum Vertebrate Pests Rabbits Oryctologus cunicuius Pests Feral Cats Felis catus Pests Foxes Vulpes vulpes Pest and weed species 5.3.8 Hazard Reduction and the Native Vegetation Conservation Act, 1997. The Native Vegetation Conservation Act 1997 (NVC Act) is part of the NSW Government’s Native Vegetation Reforms and is part of a national approach to native vegetation management. The Vegetation Reforms are aimed at: • preventing inappropriate clearance of native vegetation; • sustainably managing native vegetation that remains; • preventing further economic loss from unsustainable clearing & land degradation; • encouraging revegetation and rehabilitation of land with appropriate native vegetation and • streamlining native vegetation management. Some land is totally excluded from the operation of the NVC Act, such as land zoned residential, SEPP 14 (Coastal Wetlands), national park and State forest. Some clearing is excluded from the NVC Act such as any clearing authorised under the Rural Fires Act 1997 or the State Emergency and Rescue Act 1989 in relation to an emergency or under the Noxious Weeds Act 1993. In addition, any clearing carried out in accordance with a bush fire management plan under the Rural Fires Act 1997 is excluded from the NVC Act (ie an adopted Bush Fire Risk Management Plan). Other clearing (including burning) may require consent under the NVC Act. The NVC Act includes special provision for State protected lands. State protected lands are areas of land that were previously identified as “protected lands” under the Soil Conservation Act 1938. It includes: • land generally in excess of 18 degrees slope and mapped by Department of Land & Water Conservation (DLWC), • land within, or within 20 metres of, the bed or bank of a prescribed (listed) stream (or watercourse), • land defined as “environmentally sensitive” and mapped by DLWC. Details of State protected land are available from the Department of Land Water Conservation. The object of identifying State protect land is to protect the vegetative cover of these areas for soil and water quality management. Table 5.3 details those bush fire hazard reduction works that are excluded from the NVC Act as part of this bush fire risk management plan. Bush fire hazard reduction works and other clearing activities (e.g. fire trails) not covered by Table 5.3 may require assessment and consent under the NVC Act before they can be undertaken. For further information on other exemptions and exclusions see the Native Vegetation Conservation Act, 1997 Fact Sheet No.5, Exclusions and Exemptions, available from the Department of Land & Water Conservation. Although an exclusion may exist in relation to clearing (including fire breaks or prescribed burning) under the NVC Act, this does not mean that these activities are exempt or excluded from other legislation, such as the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and any Council requirements under local environmental planning instruments. Page 37
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