2021-06-08 P&E Agenda - Item 7 - Attachment 1 - Noosa Bushland Reserve Strategic Fire Management Plan 2021

7.2      5-Year Fire Management Operational Plan
The Noosa Bushland Reserve Strategic Fire Management Plan 2021, through its bushfire risk
assessment process, identifies 60 reserves with very high to high risk ratings. For a complete listing
of the High and Very High priority reserves see Appendix 8.1. These reserves are targeted for
operational works to mitigate bushfire risk and are identified in a 5-year Operational Plan.

The final listing of high priority bushland reserves and FMUs are kept on a separate spreadsheet to
this Plan to allow annual updates. An example is shown below:

    Reserve name    Reserve risk    Priority   Fire   Risk mitigation        New      risk   Timing    of
                    rating          Management            Planned burn      rating          works
                    Red-Very high   Units (FMUs).         Fire trail        calculation     (fn/yr)
                    (70-100)        Identified   in       Fuel              after    risk
                    Brown-High      reserve    Fire          reduction       mitigation
                    (40-69)         Management               zone            treatment
                    Yellow-Medium   Plan (FMP) or         closures
                    (20-39)         through on-site
                    Green-Low       inspection
                    (0-19)
    Symplocus       76.8            FMU 3             FMU 3 planned burn     53.2            Year 1
    Environment                     FMU 2             FMU 2 planned burn                     Year 5
    Reserve                                           Close reserve during
                                                      severe and above
                                                      FDI

    Weyba Nature    41.6            FMU 4             FMU 4 planned burn     19.6            Year 2
    Refuge                                            FMU 3 & 1                              Year 5
                                                      Close reserve during
                                                      severe and above
                                                      FDI
    Sundial         31.2            FMU 1             FMU 1 planned burn     19.6            ongoing
    Bushland
    Reserve

    Cooroy Creek    18.4            No     planned    No planned action      18.4            N/A
    Bushland                        action
    Reserve

Table 8. An example of the reserve risk assessment informs management actions.

To deliver the 5-Year Operational Plan the following is required:

       On average, 7 planned burns per year
       An additional 2 km of fire trails
       1.7km of fire trail widening
       An additional 6 km of Fuel Reduction Zones (FRZ)

There are a number of challenges for Council to deliver on this plan, in particular Council has limited
internal fire management capacity. The challenges are:
       Planned burns are currently contracted out, but contractors are not always available when
        conditions are ideal. Under current arrangements it is likely that only a small number of burns
        can be delivered each year.
       Even though Council manages 178 Bushland Reserves, Council staff are unable to respond,
        or assist other agencies, with a bushfire event on Council managed land.

To support this Plan an organisational business case for new fire management systems has been
presented to Council for consideration and adoption in the 2021/22 financial year This includes the

DRAFT Noosa Bushland Reserve Strategic Fire Management Plan                                        Page 28