Reference Document - Bushfire Risk Assessment & Bushfire Risk Management Plan

                         Ecological Natural Area Management

State Planning Policy Natural Hazards, Risk and Resilience Technical Manual: A ‘fit for purpose’
approach in undertaking natural hazard studies and risk assessments (Queensland Department of
Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, 2016) also specify potential maximum fuel
accumulation for vegetation communities in Queensland. The vegetation community in the
technical manual that is specific for the subject vegetation is shown on Table 8 below.
Table 8: Excerpt from State Planning Policy Natural Hazards, Risk and Resilience Technical
Manual of potential maximum fuel accumulation for the subject vegetation communities.
Vegetation Hazard Class                                                                Potential Fuel Load

9.2 Moist to dry eucalypt open forests on coastal lowlands and ranges                  24.1 t/ha
(Queensland Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, 2016, page 21)
From Table 8 above, the vegetation community described in the technical manual has a potential
maximum fuel accumulation less than 25 t/ha.
Methods that can be used for for the assessing fuel loads include:
    • Vegetation sampling and oven drying to derive weight of dry fuel and
    • Estimating fuel load using the Overall Fuel Hazard Guide (McCarthy et. al., 1999).
The actual fuel loads of the impacting vegetation were not assessed, however, based on the above
published potential fuel accumulations from the published literature shown above, this report will
use the next highest acceptable fuel load from AS3959 which is the “Woodland” fuel loads which
are 15 t/ha surface fuel load and 25 t/ha total fuel.

7.4    Forest Fire Danger Index
This report will use the specified Forest Fire Danger Index of FFDI 50. as required by The Noosa
plan 2020.
7.5    Parameters used in the bushfire behaviour modelling
North bushfire attack
This modelled fire burns up-slope through Eucalyptus spp open forest to attack from the north.
   • Fuel loads used are the “woodland” fuel loads of Australian Standard AS3959 of 15t/ha
      surface fuel & 25t/ha total fuel.
   • Separation of the house from the hazard: 16m
   • Slope in the vegetation = 5.30.
   • Site slope = 5.30
   • Flame width = 100m (the default value)
   • Fire run = 350m reducing the rate of spread to 0.69 of the quasi-steady state ROS
East bushfire attack
This modelled fire burns up-slope through Eucalyptus spp open forest to attack from the east.
   • Fuel loads used are the “woodland” fuel loads of Australian Standard AS3959 of 15t/ha
      surface fuel & 25t/ha total fuel.
   • Separation of the house from the hazard: 14m
   • Slope in the vegetation = 0.40.
   • Site slope = 0.40
   • Flame width = 100m (the default value)
   • Fire run = 500m reducing the rate of spread to 0.78 of the quasi-steady state ROS


Bushfire Risk Assessment and Management Plan for a house at 64 Pheasant Lane, Doonan               September 2020

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