RFI - Bushfire Hazard Assessment and Management Plan

                                                            Bushfire Hazard Assessment and Management Plan




Section 4.2.6 of the QFES BRC technical guide provides a series of mapping rules (‘patch and corridor
filtering’) for modifying the potential fireline intensity of bushfire-prone areas to reflect the likelihood of
lower potential fireline intensities in smaller vegetation patches and narrow vegetated corridors. These
rules are applied as follows:

    1. Remove patches of continuous fuel < 1 ha in area that are surrounded by either no fuel or non-
        continuous fuel and are further than 100 m from any other continuous fuel greater than 2 ha;

    2. Downgrade the effective fuel load of small patches of continuous fuel measuring a. 1 – 2 ha –
        downgrade by 66% and b. 2 – 3 ha – downgrade by 50 % if the patch is surrounded by either
        non-continuous fuel or a low-hazard vegetation or land-use type and if the patch is further than
        100m from any other continuous -fuel vegetation patch greater than 2 ha; and

    3. Remove narrow corridors and area of continuous fuel that are less than 50 m in width.

Based on the results of the site-specific assessment, vegetation within the assessment area does not
meet any of the patch and corridor filtering rules outlined in the BRC Technical Guide.

The potential fireline intensity was calculated for bushfire-prone vegetation within 150 m of the site using
the inputs from Steps 1 - 3. In accordance with Section 7.6 of the BRC Technical Guide, fireline intensity,
radiant heat flux and bushfire attack level is not required to be calculated for non-bushfire prone (i.e.
VHCs with a prone type of 2) or low hazard VHCs (i.e. VHCs with a prone-type of 3), therefore VHCs
39.2 and 40.4 have been excluded from calculation of potential fireline intensity. Remodelled potential
fireline intensity for bushfire-prone vegetation to the east and south/south-west of the site is provided in
Table 4.

           Table 4: Potential fireline intensity for classified VHCs within 150 m assessment area


  Location of                                    Effective slope –
   classified                                      average slope
                                                                            Fire      Potential    Potential
 vegetation in                                   beneath bushfire-
                                                                          weather      fireline    bushfire
   relative to        VHC          Status       prone vegetation in
                                                                          severity    intensity     hazard
 development                                         relation to
                                                                           (FFDI)       (PFI)        class
      area                                         development
                                                      (degrees)

                                                                                       72,080
       E               9.1        Remnant        21.3       Downslope        47                    Very high
                                                                                        kW/m

                                                                                       82,746
     S/SW              9.1        Remnant        22.8       Downslope        47                    Very high
                                                                                        kW/m

The results of the potential fireline intensity calculation for bushfire-prone vegetation within the
assessment area show that vegetation associated with the eucalypt forest to the east and south/south
west of site (VHC 9.1) have a potential bushfire hazard class of ‘very high’. All other vegetation within




                                                        PR22116_BHAMP_178 Davis Rd, Cootharaba        Page 19