Strategic Fire Management Plan for the Meehan Range Region December 2006 Strategic Fire Management Plan for the Meehan Range Region December 2006 Prepared By AVK Environmental Management A BN 5 3 2 0 2 2 5 2 6 5 1 553 Dorans Road, Sandford, 7020 Mobile: 041 2141955 Contents Page Summary 1. Introduction......................................................................................... 1 1.1 Aim of the Strategy ....................................................................................1 1.2 Structure of the Strategy ............................................................................2 1.2.1 Risk Management Approach.................................................................................... 3 1.3 Landuse and Vegetation on the Meehan Range ......................................4 1.4 Use of Fire in Sustainable Management of Bushland..............................6 1.5 Fire Hazard Reduction...............................................................................7 2. Fire Management Framework........................................................... 9 2.1 Statutory Responsibilities ..........................................................................9 2.2 National Standards and Guidelines........................................................13 2.3 Fire Management Policies........................................................................14 2.3.1 Clarence City Council Fire Management Policy................................................. 14 2.3.2 Department of Tourism, Arts and the Environment Fire Policy ..................... 14 2.4 Management Plans...................................................................................15 2.4.1 Draft Meehan Range Fire Management Plan ...................................................... 15 2.4.2 Middle Meehan Range Management Plan........................................................... 15 3. Bushfire Risks ................................................................................... 16 3.1 Fire Climate and Fire Weather ................................................................16 3.2 Bushfire History .......................................................................................16 3.2.1 February 1967 Bushfires .......................................................................................... 16 3.2.2 Recent Bushfires on the Meehan Range ............................................................... 17 3.3 Bushfire Causes ........................................................................................18 3.4 Current Hazard Levels ............................................................................19 3.5 Bushfire Threat .........................................................................................20 3.6 Assets at Risk from Fire ...........................................................................21 3.6.1 Bushfire Risk to Natural Heritage Assets ............................................................ 21 3.6.2 Bushfire Risk to Built and Cultural Assets .......................................................... 24 4. Fire Management Issues .................................................................. 28 4.1 Management Responsibilities .................................................................28 4.2 Fire Hazard Management........................................................................28 4.3 Firebreaks and Defendable Spaces .........................................................28 4.4 Emergency Vehicle Access Routes..........................................................30 4.4.1 Gates............................................................................................................................ 33 4.4.2 Unauthorised Access................................................................................................ 33 Page 4.5 Water Supply ............................................................................................33 4.6 Fire Detection and Suppression ..............................................................34 4.7 Protection of Dwellings ...........................................................................36 4.7.1 Dwelling Location and Construction.................................................................... 40 4.8 Bushland Management ............................................................................41 4.9 Conservation of Biodiversity...................................................................41 4.10 Community Consultation........................................................................43 5. Fire Management Objectives .......................................................... 46 6. Strategy Implementation ................................................................. 48 6.1 Bushfire Risk Reduction Strategy ...........................................................48 6.1.1 Risk Reduction for Settlements.............................................................................. 48 6.2 Community Education, Awareness and Involvement..........................50 6.3 Wildfire Control Strategy ........................................................................51 6.4 Management Burning ..............................................................................52 6.4.1 Fire Management Units ........................................................................................... 52 6.5 Prescribed Fire Regimes...........................................................................53 6.6 Refuge and Staging Areas .......................................................................54 6.7 Administration .........................................................................................58 6.7.1 Keeping the Strategy Alive ..................................................................................... 58 6.8 Emergency Relocation..............................................................................60 6.9 Post Wildfire Recovery ............................................................................61 6.10 Monitoring And Evaluation ....................................................................62 6.10.1 Species of Conservation Value............................................................................... 62 6.10.2 Plant Community Structure.................................................................................... 62 6.10.3 Performance Indicators............................................................................................ 62 6.10.4 Review of the Fire Management Strategy............................................................ 63 6.11 Maintaining Records................................................................................64 6.11.1 Annual Update.......................................................................................................... 64 6.11.2 Update After Fires .................................................................................................... 64 6.12 Adaptive Management ............................................................................64 7. Further Research ............................................................................... 66 8. Management Action Summary ....................................................... 67 BIBLIOGRAPHY GLOSSARY FIGURES: 1 - Area covered by the Meehan Range Fire Management Strategy 2 - Land tenure in the Meehan Range region 3 - Vegetation in the Meehan Range region 4 - Recent fires on the Meehan Range 5 - Flora of conservation value in the Meehan Range region 6 – Fauna habitats of conservation value in the Meehan Range region 7 - Fire management classes in the Meehan Range region 8 - Public infrastructure assets on the Meehan Range 9 - Fire brigade boundaries in the Meehan Range region 10 - Emergency vehicle access routes on the Meehan Range 11 – Bushfire prone areas on the Meehan Range 12 - Distribution of known weeds on the Meehan Range 13 - Fire management units on the Meehan Range List of Tables Page TABLE 1 – CONSERVATION VALUE OF THE NATIVE VEGETATION IN THE MEEHAN RANGE REGION....................... 5 TABLE 2 - CAUSES OF VEGETATION FIRES IN THE MEEHAN RANGE REGION FROM 1993 TO 2005........................ 18 TABLE 3 – FLORA SPECIES OF CONSERVATION VALUE IN THE MEEHAN RANGE REGION..................................... 22 TABLE 4 - FAUNA SPECIES OF CONSERVATION VALUE IN THE MEEHAN RANGE REGION ...................................... 23 TABLE 5 - FIRE MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS OF THE VEGETATION TYPES IN THE MEEHAN RANGE REGION.... 25 TABLE 6 – FIRE PROTECTION OF PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS ON THE MEEHAN RANGE ............................. 27 TABLE 7 - CONDITION AND MAINTENANCE OF EMERGENCY VEHICLE ACCESS ROUTES ON THE MEEHAN RANGE ......................................................................................................................................................................... 32 TABLE 8 - FIRE FIGHTING WATER POINTS ON THE MEEHAN RANGE ...................................................................... 35 TABLE 9 - RESPONSE TO FIRE OF THE MAIN WEED SPECIES ON THE MEEHAN RANGE........................................... 42 TABLE 10 - BURNING REGIMES FOR THE MEEHAN RANGE .................................................................................... 55 TABLE 11 - FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY REVISION PROCEDURES ..................................................................... 63 TERMINOLOGY PLEASE NOTE: The bushfire terminology used in this strategy can mean different things to different people. A glossary