Draft Plan of Management for the Dargan Creek Reserve - Land

D a r g a n C r e e k R e s e r v e P l a n o f M a n a g e m e n t
Plate 10: The upper dam wall and associated infrastructures requires a cultural heritage assessment
2.11 FIRE
The bush fire season in the Lithgow Bush Fire Management Committee (LBFMC) area generally runs
from November to March. Prevailing weather conditions associated with the bush fire season in the
Lithgow BFMC area are north-westerly winds accompanied by high daytime temperatures and low
relative humidity. Dry lightning storms occur frequently during the bush fire season (LBFMC 2009).
Fire is a natural part of the Australian landscape and the native vegetation has evolved to become
ecologically adapted to fire. Ideally, a landscape should have mosaic patches including „unburnt‟ areas
within each vegetation type. These „Unburnt‟ patches play an important role as post-fire refugia for
fauna and are important reservoirs for seed dispersal and post-fire succession.
Alteration of natural fire regimes is a threat to biodiversity. „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 TSC Act.
One of the threats to Upland Swamp communities is high frequency of fire. Management of fire around
these ecosystems is critical because they contain many plant species that occur only within swamps
and provide core habitat to some fauna species that only occur in the swamps, such as the Blue
Mountains Water Skink. While the Blue Mountains is characterised by fire-prone vegetation and
species show evolutionary adaptation to fire, there is limited dispersal of genetic material between
swamps and fire through a swamp could result in the local extinction of some species. Furthermore, fire
is likely to increase the risk of predation by foxes and cats on the predominantly ground-dwelling fauna
species that use Upland Swamps as their core habitat by decreasing the amount of cover.
Bush fires have a significant effect on a landscape‟s hydrology, as an intense fire removes cover
vegetation and exposes the soil. The lack of vegetative cover allows water run-off to increase, and
during heavy rain can lead to soil erosion and increased turbidity in waterways.
Dargan Creek Reserve is mapped as a bushfire hazard on the Lithgow Bushfire Hazard Risk Mapping.
As such it presents a risk to adjacent landowners, recreational users of the park and the cultural
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