Agricultural Fire Management Guidelines - Guide to Rural ...

Section 2 BackgroundTypes of fuel breaksBare earth breaksBare earth breaks:• can be ploughed, graded, burnt and/or sprayed toensure they are clear of fuel;• may stop a fi re under low fi re danger conditions withoutanyone being present to fi ght the fi re;• will behave more like slashed breaks if there is somefuel left sitting on the surface. Fire will often move acrossslashed or mown breaks unless someone actively puts itout;• are less effective if nearby trees are producing embersthat can be blown across the break; and• may require a permit if they remove native vegetation. Grassfi res: Fuel, Weather and Fire Behaviour(Cheney and Sullivan 1997)Slashing and mowingSlashing and mowing are common ways to reduce fi rehazards. The rate of fi re spread in dry slashed grass isabout the same as in dry standing grass. However, the fl ameheight is approximately halved in the slashed grass, makinga fi re in slashed grass easier to control.Fuel reduction burningProperly conducted fuel reduction burning can be effectivein providing a fuel break. Fuel reduction burning should onlybe carried out with appropriate permits, with considerationof environmental issues and by people with experience inburning operations.Figure 16: Crop that has been cut and baled,providing hay and a fuel break18 On the Land: Agricultural Fire Management Guidelines