Queens Domain Fire Management Plan

Queens Domain Fire Management Plan August 2008 Prepared By AVK Environmental Management ABN 53 202 252 651 553 Dorans Road, Sandford, 7020 Mobile: 041 2141955 Contents Page 1. Introduction .............................................................................................1 1.1 Aim of the Plan ..............................................................................................1 1.2 Structure of the Strategy ...............................................................................3 1.2.1 Risk Management Approach .................................................................................... 4 1.3 Landuse and Vegetation on the Queens Domain .....................................4 1.4 Use of Fire in Sustainable Management of Bushland...............................7 1.5 Fire Hazard Reduction..................................................................................9 2. Policy and Legal Framework ...............................................................10 2.1 Hobart City Council Fire Management Strategy ....................................10 2.2 Statutory Responsibilities...........................................................................11 2.3 National Standards and Guidelines..........................................................17 2.4 1995 Fire Management Plan .......................................................................17 2.5 Other Management Plans...........................................................................18 2.5.1 Queens Domain Management Plan ........................................................................ 18 2.5.2 Soldiers Memorial Avenue Management Plan ....................................................... 18 2.5.3 Cultural Heritage Management Plan ...................................................................... 19 3. Bushfire Risks ........................................................................................21 3.1 Fire Climate and Fire Weather...................................................................21 3.2 Bushfire History...........................................................................................21 3.2.1 Recent fires ............................................................................................................ 21 3.3 Bushfire Causes............................................................................................22 3.4 Current Hazard Levels ...............................................................................28 3.5 Bushfire Threat.............................................................................................29 3.6 Assets at Risk from Fire ..............................................................................29 3.6.1 Bushfire Risk to Natural Heritage Assets ............................................................... 29 3.6.2 Fire and Vegetation Management on the Domain .................................................. 40 3.6.3 Threatened Flora .................................................................................................... 40 3.6.4 Threatened Fauna ................................................................................................... 44 3.6.5 Fire and Threatened Species .................................................................................. 46 3.6.6 Bushfire Risk to Built and Cultural Assets ............................................................. 55 3.6.7 Bushfire Risk Assessment ...................................................................................... 56 4. Fire Management Issues .......................................................................68 4.1 Management Responsibilities....................................................................68 Page 4.2 Vegetation Management Units..................................................................68 4.3 Fire Hazard Management...........................................................................70 4.4 Fire Management Assets.............................................................................70 4.4.1 Firebreaks and Defendable Spaces ......................................................................... 70 4.4.2 Emergency Vehicle Access Routes ........................................................................ 71 4.4.3 Gates ...................................................................................................................... 74 4.4.4 Water Supply .......................................................................................................... 74 4.5 Bushland Management ...............................................................................74 4.6 Conservation of Biodiversity .....................................................................74 4.6.1 Spread of She Oak ( Allocasuarina verticillata ) ..................................................... 80 4.7 Community Consultation...........................................................................81 5. Fire Management Objectives ................................................................82 6. Strategy Implementation ....................................................................104 6.1 Bushfire Risk Reduction Strategy............................................................104 6.2 Community Education, Awareness and Involvement.........................104 6.3 Management Prescriptions for Vegetation Management Units .........104 6.3.1 Prescribed Fire Regimes ....................................................................................... 127 6.3.2 Control of She Oak ( Allocasuarina verticillata ).................................................. 128 6.4 Weed Control .............................................................................................128 6.5 Post-Fire Safety and Rehabilitation.........................................................134 6.6 Equipment and Training ..........................................................................134 6.7 Coordination of Burns with other Activities .........................................136 6.8 Monitoring and Evaluation......................................................................137 6.8.1 Species of Conservation Value ............................................................................ 138 6.8.2 Plant Community Structure and Floristics ........................................................... 139 6.8.3 Performance Indicators ........................................................................................ 139 6.8.4 Review of the Fire Management Plan .................................................................. 139 6.9 Adaptive Management .............................................................................140 7. Further Research .................................................................................142 8. Management Action Summary ..........................................................143 Appendices Appendix A: Threatened Flora Locations Confirmed in 2007 Appendix B: Threatened Flora Locations on the Soldiers Memorial Avenue Appendix C: Fuel Load Assessment Procedure Figures Page FIGURE 1 – LOCATION OF THE QUEENS DOMAIN 2 FIGURE 2 – VEGETATION COMMUNITIES ON THE DOMAIN 6 FIGURE 3 – FIRE MANAGEMENT COMPARTMENTS IN THE 1995 FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN 20 FIGURE 4A – PAST FIRES ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN 24 FIGURE 4B – PAST FIRES ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN 25 FIGURE 4C – PAST FIRES ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN 26 FIGURE 4D – PAST FIRES ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN 27 FIGURE 5 – PLANT COMMUNITIES AND SPECIES OF CONSERVATION VALUE ON THE DOMAIN 30 FIGURE 6 – FAUNA HABITATS OF CONSERVATION VALUE ON THE DOMAIN 31 FIGURE 7 – VEGETATION MANAGEMENT UNITS ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN 69 FIGURE 8 – FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSETS ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN 73 Tables Page TABLE 1 – CONSERVATION VALUE OF THE NATIVE VEGETATION ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN ............................... 5 TABLE 2 - CAUSES OF VEGETATION FIRES ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN FROM 1993 TO 2006................................ 23 TABLE 3 – FLORA SPECIES OF CONSERVATION VALUE ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN ............................................. 32 TABLE 4 - FAUNA SPECIES OF CONSERVATION VALUE ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN .............................................. 38 TABLE 5 – FIRE MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS OF THE PLANT COMMUNITIES ON THE DOMAIN ....................... 49 TABLE 6 – FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT FOR BUILT AND CULTURAL ASSETS ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN ................. 61 TABLE 7 - RESPONSE TO FIRE OF THE MAIN WEED SPECIES ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN ....................................... 75 TABLE 8 – MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES FOR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT UNITS ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN ...... 84 TABLE 9 – MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS FOR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT UNITS ........................................ 106 TABLE 10 – RECOMMENDED TREATMENT FOR TARGET WEEDS ON THE QUEENS DOMAIN .............................. 130 TABLE 11 - FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN REVISION PROCEDURES ........................................................................ 140 Project team: Axel von Krusenstierna (AVK Environmental Management) –fire protection and management Andrew North (North Barker Ecosystem Services) – threatened species survey and fire ecology. Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick for his invaluable advice and assistance with relocating populations of threatened species. Many thanks to Kathryn Pugh for locating individuals of the tussock grass skink, and for information on its habitat requirements and fire ecology. TERMINOLOGY PLEASE NOTE : The bushfire terminology used in this plan can be confusing.

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