Murray Valley National Park Vegetation Map Legend RFS Fire Brigade Areas & Towers Vegetation Broad Vegetation Vegetation Biodiversity Thresholds Fire Behaviour -Burrawang P037 Noorong, Neimur & Type Perekerton Class Scale 1:175,000 P029 Wanganella River Red Gum Wetuppa Precincts An interval between fire events less than 10 years and greater than 35 years should Town West Windouran 0 2 4 km Forests be avoided. River Red Gums will only tolerate low intensity fires. Individual trees may Mallan Fire Management Strategy 2012 Forested survive canopy scorch if they are not under stress and are in older age classes. These vegetation communities will generally not carry fire unless there are high ephemeral Wetlands River Red Gum Younger trees will not survive moderate to high intensity fires. Two fires occur ring in the Mapsheet 1 of 1 – Black Box same area in a period of less than 20 years apart may reduce the extent of River Red fuel loads, which generally occur after flooding event s. In favourable years the River Red Dhuragoon This strategy should be used in conjunction with aerial photography and field reconnaissance during incidents and the development of incident action plans. Woodland Gum Forests. Gum forests can be scattered with high reed beds, which can result in isolated areas of Denimein These data are not guaranteed to be free from error or omission. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife and its employees disclaim liability for any act done on the very high to extreme fire behaviour. In years of high ephemeral fuels, landscape fires are Rural inform ation in the data and any consequences of such acts or omissions. T his document is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of study, research An interval between fire events less than 10 years and greater than 35 years should possible as fire potential will be very high to extreme, characterised by spo tting from Black criticism or review , as permitted under the copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. This strategy is a relevant Plan u nder Freshwater Lignum, Open Plain or Swamp be avoided. Box and River Red Gum communities and fast moving fires in other communities. Section 38 (4) and Section 44 (3) of Ru ral Fires Act 1997. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is part of the Office of Environment and Heritage. Published Wetlands -Rangemore by the Office of Environment and Heritage (NSW ), March 2011. In periods of high ephemeral fuel loads the wetlands pose a risk of extreme fire intensities, Murray Downs Village Noorong Semi-arid An interval between fire events less than 9 years should be avoided. There is no P022 C ontact: OEH PW G Regional Office: 200 Yambil St, Griffith NSW 2680 P.O. Box 1049 Griffith NSW 2680 ph. 02 6966 8100 Black, Yellow & hot – fast moving fires and rapid change in direction associated with wind. P049 Gonn-Mellool Woodlands maximum interval between fire events specified for this vegetation type as there was Grey Box North Wakool ISBN 978 1 74293 774 8 OEH 2012/0640 Date: August 2012 Version No: 1 insufficient data to give definite intervals.. Two fires in the same area i n a period of less TullakoolWakool Village (Grassy sub- Woodland Map Details Related Documents formation) than 10 years apart may remove younger Black Box trees. Datum: Geocentric Datum of Australia (GDA) 1994 1:50k Topographic Map: Swan Hill 7627-S, OEH Fire Management High intensity fast moving fire once grasses have cu red. Fire behaviour is Grassy Mixed An interval between fire events less than 8 years and greater than 40 years should be Barham Projection: Map Grid of Australia ( MGA ) Zone 54 Wakool 7727-S, Moulamein 7727-N, Manual 2011 - 2012. dominated by winds, both speed and direction. Even in very low fuel, grass fires P020 Woodlands Woodland avoided. Scale 1:1,000,000 Caldwell & Zone 55 Cunninyeuk 7627-N (AGD-1966) can erratic and fast moving. In ephemeral years intensity will be higher and i n Hill Plain drought years minimal growth will result in moderate fire behaviour but potentially 0 9 18 km Data: Spot Satellite Imagery: 2005. Scale: Noted scales are true when printed on Tantonan Cultivated still fast moving depending on weather conditions at the time. Potential spotting A1 size paper Other No fire regime Land from trees.

Permanent Water Operational Guidelines Water Body Locality WILLBRIGGIE KOOROONGAL Brief all personnel involved in suppression operations on the following issues using the SMEACS format: The fire history for this reserve is incomplete . Only 1 fire has been recorded which occurred in Neimur in 1983 and was approximately 11Ha in area with an unknown ignition source. LGA Hay Fire History

WADDI Balranald ay General Guidelines ighw rt H Ephemeral Ephemeral fuel conditions occur after consecut ive years of effective rainfall and significant flooding events. This in turn leads to the growth and build up of fine surface fuels such as grasses and Stu . The use of bombing aircraft should support containment operations by aggressively at tacking hotspots and spot-overs, herbs, which can create a continuous fuel load across all of the above vegetation communities. As a result expect higher fire intensity. . Conditions Aerial Water The use of bombing aircraft without the support of ground based suppression crews should be limited to very specific Wakool LGA Bombing circumstances, Drought During drought conditions and when vegetation communities are visibly stressed or experiencing dieback no prescribed burning will be permitted and wildfire areas will be minimised. E . Where practicable foam should be used to increase the effectiveness of the water, dw rd Riv Conditions a er W . Ground crews must be alerted to water bombing operations. a ko C LGA o o l . Aerial ignition may be used during back-burning or fuel reduction operations where practicable, but only with the prior R b iv b e consent of NPWS Regional Manager, OEH Section 44 delegate or as pres cribed in an operational burn plan, r H i Aerial Ignition g . h Aerial ignition will only be undertaken by accredited navigators & bombardiers, w y a . The pattern for aerial ignition will be specified in the IAP during fire suppression, w Wakool y . Utilise incendiaries to rapidly burn out large areas where required. Fire Season Information H b d b ol R . Temperature and humidity trends must be monitored carefully to determine the safest times to implement back -burns. . The critical wildfire season generally occurs from October/November to March/April. o M Wako C ur Generally, when the FDI is Very High or greater, back -burning should commence when the humidity begins to rise in ra Murray LGA Wildfires . Dry lightning storms frequently occur and typical fire weather conditions are winds from the west to the north, high day time temperature s and low humidity y the late afternoon or early evening, with a lower FDI back -burning may be safely undertaken during the day, Ri ve Back-burning . r . Where practicable, clear a 1m radius around dead and hollow bearing trees adjacent to containment lines prior to back - Particular care is required following periods of Winter rain and after periods of negative Southern Oscillation Indices. burning, or wet down these trees as part of the back-burn ignition, Prescribed . Prescribed burning should generally be undertaken during winter or early Spring . Use parallel containment lines when applicable, Burning . Care should be taken to ensure a low intensity burn over most of the area treated. Scale 1:2,500,000 . All personnel must be fully briefed before back-burning operations begin. 0 20 40 km . Standard Incident Management Systems are to be applied, MoamaScale . On the arrival of other combatant agencies, the initial incident controller will consult with regard to the ongoing Command & command, control and incident management team requirements as per the relevant BFMC Plan of Operations, Control 756,000 761,000 766,000 771,000 776,000 781,000 786,000 E, Zone 54 . Where OEH is not the first responding fire authority to arrive at a fire on OEH-managed lands, a competent officer of the

first arriving fire authority will direct fire management activities until a competent OEH officer assumes control (unless prior agreements have been made). . Incident Map Construction of new containment lines should be avoided, where practicable, except where they can be constructed with minimal environmental impact, Threatened Sites Guidelines 6,105,000 . For new containment lines IMT to liaise with and receive consent from a Senior NPWS officer prior to construction, Site Guidelines Containment . Use parallel containment lines when applicable, Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Site Management Lines . All containment lines not required for other purposes should be closed at the cessation of the incident, . All personal involved in containment line construction should be briefed on both natural and cultural h eritage sites in the An aboriginal sites survey is yet to be conducted for this reserve (as of August 2012). Therefore more aboriginal sites may location, Note be present other than those shown on the Incident Map of this document. MGA MGA . Containment line construction using earthmoving equipment must be in accordance with the earthmoving guidelines Avoid fire and grading control lines within 100 m of a water course, wherever possible, to protect unknown aboriginal sites. N, Zone55 contained within the RFMS. . Do not cut down trees . Earthmoving equipment may only be used with the prior consent of a senior NPWS officer, and then only if the ZONE 54 AH1 . ZONE 55 probability of its success is high, As far as possible protect the site from fire . . Earthmoving equipment must always be guided and supervised by an appropriately experienced person, and Use of foams, wetting agents & retardant is acceptable.

accompanied by a support vehicle. When engaged in direct or parallel attack this vehicle must be a fire fighting vehicle, . Avoid all ground disturbance including the use of earthmoving machinery, handline construction and driving over sites 6,100,343 AH2 . Containment lines constructed by earthmoving equipment should consider the protection of drainage features, observe . Sites may be burnt by bushfire, backburn or prescribed burn without damage. Earthmoving the Threatened Species and Cultural Heritage Operational Guidelines, and be surveyed, w here possible, to identify Cunninyeuk Threatened Fauna Management Equipment unknown cultural heritage sites, . Earthmoving equipment must not leave tracks or create new tracks in Machinery Exclusion areas as marked on the FA1 . Utilise mosaic burning and avoid disturbance at known sightings, roostings or refuges and avoid frequent fire (<6 years). Incident Map of a RFMS, 6,100,000 . Utilise mosaic burning, avoid disturbance at known sightings, roostings or refuges, avoid frequent fire (<6 years) a nd . Earthmoving equipment must be washed down, where practicable, prior to it entering NPWS estate and again on exiting FA2 Niemur Precinct NPWS estate, exclude chemical use. . Where multiple items of earthmoving equipment are being used, the IMT should consider the establishment of a Plant FA3 . Utilise mosaic burning and protect hollow bearing trees. Operations Manager. CRAIGIEMAINS ROAD Fire . All fire advantages used during wildfire suppression operations must be mapped and where relevant added to the FA4 . Utilise mosaic burning, protect hollow bearing trees and avoid frequent fire (< 6 —10 years ). Advantage database. Recording FA5 . Utilise mosaic burning. . Use of wetting and foaming agents (surfactants) is permitted on the reserve, Wetuppa Precincts Fire . The use of fire retardants are only permitted with the prior consent of the senior NPWS officer and should be avoided FA7 . Exclude fire from habitat and avoid the use of machinery and chemicals. ( North ofText River) Wildfire 1983 Suppression where reasonable alternatives are available, 6,095,343 Chemicals . Exclude the use of surfactants and retardants within 50m of watercourses, dams and swamps, . Areas where fire suppression chemicals are used must be m apped and the used product’s name recorded, . C The Threatened Species Operational Guidelines are to be observed. u n Rehabilitation . Where practicable, containment lines should be stabilised and rehabilitated as part of the wildfire suppression operation. n 6,095,000 in . The potential impacts of smoke and possible mitigation tactics must be considered when planning for wildfire Bushfire Risk Management Strategies y e Smoke suppression and prescribed burning operations, u . k Management If smoke becomes a hazard on local roads or highways, the police and relevant media must be notified, R . Smoke management must be in accordance with relevant RTA traffic management guidelines. Scale 1:175,000 d . OEH personnel are not trained in structural fire fighting and must not enter a structure in order to undertake structural 0 2 4 km Structural fire fighting, Fire Fighting . Fire suppression activities may be undertaken from outside a structure in accordance with the policies in the NPWS FMM, in order to protect a built asset. Visitor . The reserve may be closed to the public during periods of extreme fire da nger or during prescribed burning or wildfire Management suppression operations. Scale1:90,000 6,090,343 . Beware of overhead powerlines, WARNINGS . h 0 1 2 km Reserve prone to flooding and only some trails will be trafficable after flood events or rainfall. ort N d R

6,090,000 Wetuppa e

i Communications Information

r Status of Biodiversity Thresholds r Location and u Service Channel Comments Scale NPWS Repeater 29 .

1:175,000 Narc Swan Hill . -Barn NPWS (Yanga) 02 UHF 0 2 4 km ham RFS UHF 10 . All Brigades Rd P062 . Lowbidgee Mulligans Plain P035 . Balranald

P029 . Moulamein 6,085,343 RFS Wakool Noorong P049 . Swan Hill P020 . Barham Swan Hill-Ba P058 . rnham R Within Threshold 6,085,000 d Toolmah P022 . Calimo RFS Murray P011 . Bunnaloo N State Forests a 19 . Deniliquin/Mathoura r NeimurText Precincts c UHF - CB Text u . r State Forests 222 Barham r (South of River) i . e VHF (Repeater) 226 Calimo

R d

S Contact Information

o 6,080,343 u Agency Position / Location Phone Fire Management Zones t The objective of LMZs is to h Duty Officer (8am-10pm) 02 6332 6350 National Parks Regional Office – 200 Land conserve biodiversity and protect NPWS Estate 02 6966 8100 Management cultural and historic heritage. & Wildlife Service Yambil St. Griffith 6,080,000 Evaluation of Biodiversity Zones Manage fire consistent with fire River Hay Area Office 02 6990 8200 thresholds. THOMAS ROAD Thresholds Fire should be avoided wherever Powerlines Mid Murray Zone Duty Officer (AH) 03 5881 6297 Fire Within the threshold for possible from these areas as they NSW Rural Fire vegetation in this area. Exclusion Deniliquin FCC 305 Duncan will cause detrimental damage to Wildfire Service 03 5881 5351 Species have had sufficient Zone St, Deniliquin the environment. Within time to mature and reproduce, Fire Trails BFCC Policy No. 2/2007 State Forests Deniliquin – Duty Mobile 0408 675 211 STEILSTON ROAD Threshold and for habitats to develop. Emergency  A fire event is neither Dormant 000 Services required nor should one Suppression Strategies Roads and Trails 6,075,343 necessarily be avoided. Season Typical Conditions Indicative Suppression Strategies N, Zone54 SES 13 2500 Fire frequency is below fire . Current Fire Danger Rating (FDR) of Very High or Direct Sealed Road - Two Lanes Police Station Balranald 03 5020 1404 thresholds in the area. Just prior Greater, Initial attacks should be to try to extinguish or to contain to Unsealed Road - Two Lanes (not open 24 hrs) Moulamein 03 5887 5004 Long Unburnt  A fire event may or may not to or . Short and medium range forecasts suggest conditions the smallest possible area. be advantageous. Consider Police - Local during the typical to a FDR of Very High or Greater, Indirect 6,075,000 Unsealed Road - One Lane Deniliquin 03 5881 9437 ecological effects of fires in critical fire . A risk to life and/or property exists in the short – Develop a suppression plan using existing and/or potential Area Command these areas. season medium term, containment lines. If possible take into account biodiversity Site Management (see guidelines) Areas which do not have . A broad area risk to biodiversity exists. requirements but never to the detriment of life and property. Balranald 03 5020 1606 No Fire recommended fire intervals Aboriginal Site - AH1 Hospital Direct Swan Hill 03 5033 9300 Regime assigned to them, e.g. cleared . FDR of High or below, Evaluate the biodiversity thresholds and use direct attack Aboriginal Site - AH2 land, rock, water bodies. Outside of . Short – medium term forecast indicate a continuing methods to extinguish if required. Wakool Shire Council 03 5887 5007 NB. Fire thresholds are defined for vegetation the critical FDR of High or below Council Indirect Threatened Fauna communities to conserve biodiversity fire . No risk to life or property exists in the short-medium Council 03 5020 1300 Develop a fire suppression plan to the maximum allowable season term, perimeter based on Biodiversity thresholds. . Only small area risk to biodiversity exists. 207,640 E, Zone 55 212,640 217,640 222,640 227,640 232,640 237,640 242,640 6,070,343