Attachment A to Judgment for 19Aug 2024 (6)

3        Bushfire hazard assessment
This chapter provides details about the desktop review, site inspection and bushfire hazard
assessment.

3.1      Severe fire weather
The severe fire weather map in Catalyst indicates the 5 % annual exceedance probability forest fire
danger index (FFDI) for the site is 48. This FFDI value was used for potential bushfire intensity
calculations and radiant heat exposure assessment in the JER and this BMP.

3.2      Fire history
Fire history data in Catalyst indicates three fires have occurred within 1.6 kilometres (km) of the site
during the past 10 years. Only one of these fires occurred in the section of Noosa National Park
adjoining the site. Nonetheless, it was a small fire and was 1.5 km from the site.

3.3      Site inspection

LEC inspected the site and land within 100 m of the site on 16 August 2022. Observations were
recorded about current land use and management, vegetation characteristics, the slope of land and
evidence of previous fires.
                                             V2
The locations of assessment reference points used for the bushfire hazard assessment are shown in
Figure 2.1.
Table 3.1 provides a summary of observations from the site inspection and notes about the bushfire
hazard assessment of assessment reference points. The notes about assessment reference points
located within the site, ie assessment reference points J, K, L and M, consider the ecological
                                ft
investigations discussed in the Ecology JER for the appeal.
Examples of VHCs observed during the site inspection are provided in Photograph 3.1-Photograph 3.5.
                ra

 Table 3.1 Site observations
 Assessment   Catalyst                     Ground truthed   Notes
 reference    VHC                          VHC
      D


 point
 A            VHC 22.1                     VHC 22.1         Melaleuca forest in Noosa National Park.
                                                            The land is flat.
 B            VHC 42.6 Nil to very low     VHC 42.6         Residential lots with dwelling houses and nil to
              vegetation cover                              low vegetation cover.
              (VHC 42.6)
 C            VHC 28.2 Woodlands in        VHC 28.2         A ≤ 35 m wide corridor of woodland vegetation
              coastal locations with                        which adjoins a tidal waterbody to the east
              species such as she-oak or                    and Lake Weyba Drive and residential lots to
              swamp box (VHC 28.2)                          the west. The land is flat.
 D            VHC 43.6 Waterbodies         VHC 43.6         Riparian vegetation and tidal waterbody.
              and very low vegetation
              cover (VHC 43.6)
 E            VHC 41.4 Discontinuous       VHC 41.4         Maintained park which has trees and a
              low grass or tree cover                       mown grass understorey.
              (VHC 41.4)
 F            VHC 28.2                     VHC 28.2         A ≤ 35 m wide corridor of woodland
                                                            vegetation which adjoins a tidal
                                                            waterbody to the east and Lake Weyba

                                                                                                               6


                                                                                                                   63