Land Management and Community Preparedness

Hazard reduction burning, also known as controlled burning or prescribed burning, is a fire management technique used to reduce the risk of uncontrolled wildfires. It involves deliberately setting fires under controlled conditions to burn away excess vegetation, such as dead leaves, dropped bark, grasses, and small shrubs, which can act as fuel for larger, more dangerous fires.

Council’s role

As a land manager Council takes an active role in planning hazard reduction burns in our reserves. In doing this, we consider many factors including risk reduction to our neighbours, fire history of the area, and ecological benefit to our reserves.

The aim of hazard reduction is to strategically establish a mosaic pattern of controlled burns across the landscape. This approach creates a patchwork of varying fire histories, which reduces bush fire fuel loads and interrupts fire path.

Creating areas of burnt and unburnt country not only achieves risk reduction to the community but also provides for spatial and temporal diversity of fuel loads and species composition.

Hazard reduction and the environment

Hazard reductions are carefully planned and balanced to minimize negative impacts on ecosystems while still achieving the main goal of reducing bush fire risk. Over-frequent or uncontrolled burning can degrade habitats, disrupt plant regeneration and harm species that are not fire-adapted.

Before burning Council undertakes an environmental assessment to determine the biodiversity value of the area and how the burn might impact local plants and animals. Special attention is given to protecting threatened species and their habitats.

The timing and season of hazard reduction burns is crucial for minimising harm to native wildlife and ensuring sufficient ensuing rain and soil moisture for plant regeneration and seed germination. To minimise impacts on animals, controlled burns are often scheduled outside of the breeding and nesting seasons.

Cultural burning

Council encourages connection to country through safe cool burning practices to not only deepen relationships with indigenous custodians but to also manage vegetation and afford protection to indigenous sites. Within the Hornsby Shire there are more than 1,200 known sites, including rock shelters, middens and engravings.

Planned burns

Timing of burns is dependent on weather conditions and cannot be scheduled far in advance. See NSW Rural Fire Service website for up-to-date information on scheduled hazard reduction burns. Actual burn areas may differ slightly from those shown on proposal maps.

Fire trails are an important part of ensuring firefighters can access fires and safely contain them. They are also used to assist with hazard reduction operations across the landscape.

Council manages approximately 21 kilometres of fire trail on its land. This represents about 5% of the total managed across the Shire with the remaining 95% managed by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Crown Lands and Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Priority of fire trail works and funding is determined by the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Fire Access Fire Trail (FAFT) Plan which identifies strategic significance.

The fire trail network is managed in accordance with the RFS NSW Fire Trail Standards and the NSW Rural Fire Service Fire Trail Design Construction and Maintenance Manual. These documents define requirements for trail width and clearances, drainage, signage and gates, accessibility, vehicle carrying capacity and other traits that impact on the performance of the fire trail and the safety of emergency service personnel in the event of a fire.

Community engagement is a powerful tool for improving bush fire risk awareness. Effective community engagement can improve resilience of residents to fire emergencies and aid in protecting persons from injury or death and property damage arising from fires.

It is Councils vision that its community is empowered to make informed decisions about fire and property management without solely relying on assistance from emergency service personnel.

To aid in the above Council plays an active role in delivering community engagement programs to at-risk communities, in collaboration with other land management agencies (such as NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Crown Land) and firefighting bodies (NSW Rural Fire Service and Fire + Rescue NSW).

Engagement activities include street and local area meetings, community group presentations, pop-up stalls at local shows and fetes, targeted letterbox drops and mailouts, library displays, social media campaigns, advertising through kiosks and signage, council website updates and newspaper publications.

For more information

Register your interest in hosting a Council-led street meeting or workshop to connect with your neighbours and receive expert guidance on bush fire preparedness.

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