Fire Management Strategy Macleay Gorges Reserves FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY MACLEAY GORGES RESERVES includes OXLEY WILD RIVERS, CARRAI and CUNNAWARRA (west) NATIONAL PARKS, GEORGES CREEK NATURE RESERVE and OXLEY WILD RIVERS & CARRAI STATE CONSERVATION AREAS. Department of Environment and Climate Change Parks and Wildlife Division Northern Tablelands Region June 2007 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This Fire Management Strategy was developed by the Northern Tablelands Region of the Parks and Wildlife Division of the Department of Environment and Climate Change. The fire management strategy was written by Rangers Patrick Lupica, Don Hardman and Piers Thomas, and project managed by Fire Management Officer Glenn Cranfield with the GIS and mapping undertaken by Senior Technical Officer Robyn Bryant. Input and supervision was provided by Area Managers Roger Mills, Mark Ingram and Trevor Dess. The development of the fire management strategy involved consultation and planning meetings with the staff of Forests NSW, the New England Team of the Rural Fire Service and park neighbours through the local Bush Fire Brigades whose areas adjoin the parks and reserves covered by this strategy. Special acknowledgment is given to those neighbours who manage lands within the Macleay Gorges and who have assisted in the development of the Strategy. By agreeing to the inclusion of parts of their lands in Strategic Fire Advantage Zones, these landholders have made possible a cooperative community based landscape approach to fire management. Acknowledgment also to Greg Roberts and Peter Metcalfe for assistance with vegetation classification. This strategy utilises text and other information contained in a document prepared under contract to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service by consultants, Bushfire and Environmental Services Pty Ltd. This document is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be addressed to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Published by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Northern Tablelands Region, April 2006. Contact: PO Box 402 Armidale, NSW, 2350. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Scope and Purpose ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Fire Management Objectives .............................................................................................. 2 1.3 Description of the Reserves................................................................................................. 3 1.3.1 Location and Terrain............................................................................................... 3 1.3.2 Fire Weather and History ........................................................................................ 5 1.3.3 Natural and Cultural Heritage ................................................................................ 5 1.3.4 Capital Assets.......................................................................................................... 6 1.3.5 Recreational Use and Facilities............................................................................... 7 1.3.6 Summary of Key Fire Issues .................................................................................... 7 2. BUSHFIRE RISKS ......................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................ 9 2.2 Life and Property.............................................................................................................. 11 2.3 Cultural Heritage............................................................................................................... 11 2.4 Natural Heritage ............................................................................................................... 12 3. BUSHFIRE RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES................................................. 16 3.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................... 16 3.2 Prevention (Reduction) Strategies...................................................................................... 16 3.3 Preparedness Strategies.................................................................................................... 16 3.4 Response Strategies.......................................................................................................... 16 3.5 Recovery Strategies.......................................................................................................... 16 4. BUSHFIRE MANAGEMENT ZONES ....................................................................... 18 4.1 Asset Protection Zones..................................................................................................... 18 4.2 Strategic Fire Advantage Zones ........................................................................................ 25 4.3 Land Management Zones................................................................................................. 41 4.4 Fire Management Assets and Utilities................................................................................ 49 4.4.1 Fire Management Trails and Roads....................................................................... 49 4.4.2 Other Fire Control Advantages............................................................................. 54 5. REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 56 Introduction 1. INTRODUCTION The Parks and Wildlife Division (PWD, the former National Parks and Wildlife Service) of the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) is responsible for the management of national parks, nature reserves and state conservation areas throughout New South Wales. As such the DECC is required to manage these lands so as to minimise the impacts of bush fires on the community at the same time as providing appropriate fire regimes that will maintain the natural and cultural values of the reserves. 1.1 Scope and Purpose This strategy describes the approach the DECC will implement in Oxley Wild Rivers, Carrai and Cunnawarra (west) National Parks, Georges Creek Nature Reserve and Oxley Wild Rivers and Carrai State Conservation Areas between 2005 and 2010. The strategy aims to meet the fire management obligations of the DECC under the Rural Fires Act 1997, National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 and Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. Due to the rugged terrain and the fragmented nature of the parks and reserves within the planning area, it is impossible to effectively plan for fire management within these reserves in isolation to the surrounding privately owned lands and State Forests. For this reason the strategy for these reserves has been prepared in conjunction with the NSW Rural Fire Service, NSW State Forests and private landholders to effectively form the basis of a Macleay Gorges Local Area Fire Management Strategy. This strategy has been prepared in accordance with: · NPWS Fire Management Manual (NPWS 2005). · NPWS Strategy for Fire Management (NPWS 2003). · Bush Fire Environmental Code for Asset Protection and Strategic Fire Advantage Zones (2003). · Oxley Wild Rivers and Cunnawarra National Parks and Georges Creek Nature Reserve Plan of Management (NPWS 2005). · Carrai National Park and State Conservation Area Plan of Management (NPWS 2004). · The Bush Fire Risk Management Plans for Armidale Dumaresq, Walcha and Uralla Shires. This strategy is supported by: · Fire Management Works Programs that are prepared annually and list the fire management strategies to be implemented each year. · Bushfire Suppression Guidelines that are prepared annually and identify natural, cultural and capital assets to be protected from bushfire each year and fire control advantages. · Northern Tablelands Region Incident Response Procedures which are prepared biannually and detail general bushfire preparedness and response procedures. This strategy comprises this document and a number of hardcopy maps and a Geographic Information System (GIS) database maintained at the PWD Northern Tablelands Regional Office, Armidale. 1 Fire Management Strategy for the Macleay Gorges Reserves Introduction 2 Fire Management Strategy for the Macleay Gorges Reserves Introduction 1.2 Fire Management Objectives Consistent with the statutory obligations and policies of DECC, as defined in the NPWS Fire Management Manual (NPWS 2005), the fire management objectives defined for the planning area include: · Protect life, property and community assets from the adverse impacts of fire; · Develop and implement cooperative and coordinated fire management arrangements with other fire authorities, reserve neighbours and the community, to minimise the potential for the spread of bushfires within, from or into the reserves; · Manage fire regimes within reserves to maintain and enhance biodiversity; · Protect Aboriginal sites and places, historic places and culturally significant features known to exist within NSW from damage by fire; and · Assist other fire agencies, land management authorities and landholders in