VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN for Bidjigal Reserve - Land

Vegetation Management Plan - Bidjigal Reservebehind their properties. Others use the bushland edge for the disposal of garden waste and grassclippings – thereby increasing the fuel load in what is already fire prone vegetation, while in othersites, dense bushland occurs at the rear of property fences, and no particular attempt has beenmade to reduce the bushfire hazard. Of particular concern is the use of ‘brush fencing’ by someresidents – which significantly adds to the bushfire hazard.Similarly, fire trail maintenance would seem to be somewhat infrequent, so that in some areas thebush has grown back strongly (often a year or so after a hazard reduction burn has taken place).Erosion and washouts occurring on the trails themselves are issues which must be resolved in thenear future. For such a large area of fire-prone bushland almost totally surrounded by residentialdevelopment, it is imperative that all adjoining properties are adequately protected by a network ofwell useable fire trails and well-maintained APZs.The Trust, in consultation with the NSW Rural Fire Service (‘RFS’), is responsible for the maintenanceand upkeep of both the fire trails and APZs in Bidjigal Reserve. It is however, understood that BHSCmay be willing to resume some of its previous maintenance operations by slashing establishedfirebreaks.However, having determined the Trust’s responsibility in this regard, it must be stressed thatresidents living adjacent to the Reserve have to take some responsibility for their own safety.Residents must be made aware – and reminded on a regular basis – of the hazards inherent in livingnext to a large bushland reserve, and they should be provided with a set of ‘safe housekeeping’ rulesto ensure that all measures are taken to reduce those hazards.The RFS publishes an excellent series of guidelines designed to assist residents living in fire-proneenvironments, which the author understands are provided free of charge. It is strongly suggestedthat the Trust develop a yearly letter to local residents (i.e. a letter drop) which can be deliveredalong with material provided by the RFS. An information evening, which includes a speaker from theRFS or one of the local Brigades, would also be of benefit, especially to new residents.6.9 Retention of Corridor Values - Fragmentation & Genetic IsolationBidjigal Reserve forms a major part of an important local and regional wildlife corridor (See Section4.3). While larger bushland areas such as Bidjigal Reserve are (at least partly) self-sustaining, smallerreserves surrounded by suburban development and major roads are unlikely to be viable unlessactively managed. Links to regional bushland via vegetated wildlife corridors may not exist, or theymay be fragmented or so simplified that they cannot function effectively.Between such isolated bushland ‘pockets’, there is often little potential for the movement of plantmaterial or fauna species, and for the exchange of genetic material required to sustain a viableecosystem. Consequently, over time many floristic and faunal communities in the urban areasbecome increasingly simplified; often dominated by a few relatively disturbance-tolerant species.Where this occurs, maintenance of biodiversity values may have to be ‘manipulated’ viatranslocation, indigenous planting, re-introductions, or by other means.UBM Ecological Consultants Pty Ltd 124