MCU14/0106 Appendix H - Bushfire Assessment Report

Noosa Civic Expansion
Bushfire Assessment Report



      > geographical position relative to the proposed development;
      > land tenure and use; and/or
      > similarities in vegetation, slope and/or aspect.
Total hazard scores are then determined for each sub-unit and a bushfire hazard analysis can be undertaken
to identify areas of High, Medium and Low bushfire hazard within the locality of interest.

3.2              Vegetation Community Hazard Assessment
The species composition and structure of the vegetation communities that occur within the site locality are
described in the Noosa Civic Extension - State and Local Government Ecological Assessment (Cardno
2014) and their distributions are illustrated in Figure 6 of that report which is reproduced in Appendix C.
Table 3-2 provides a summary of the types of vegetation that would remain in the locality of the proposed
Noosa Civic expansion post development and their equivalent SPP 1/03 bushfire hazard scores.

Table 3-2        Vegetation communities and their equivalent SPP 1/03 Guideline hazard scores that
                 occur within the Noosa Civic expansion locality post development
SPP 1/03 Vegetation                  Occurrence in Site Locality                Fire Behaviour                    Hazard
Community                                                                                                         Score

Wet sclerophyll forest, tall         Not present.                               Infrequent fires under severe       10
eucalypts, with grass and mixed                                                 conditions, flame lengths may
shrub understorey. Predominant                                                  exceed 40m, floating embers
mature canopy height ~30m.                                                      attack structures for 1 hour,
                                                                                radiant heat and direct flame
                                                                                are destructive for 30 minutes.
Paperbark heath and swamps,          Present.      This is the dominant         Fire intensity depends on fuel      8
eucalypt forest with dry-shrub       vegetation type within and adjacent to     accumulation, but can be
ladder fuels.      Predominant       the Noosa Civic expansion.           As    severe, with flame lengths to
mature canopy height ~20m.           detailed in the State and Local            20m, spot fires frequent
                                     Government Ecological Assessment           across firebreaks, radiant heat
                                     (Cardno 2014), the existing vegetation     and direct flame for 15
                                     within and adjacent to the Noosa Civic     minutes.
                                     site is regrowth vegetation “..
                                     characterised by Syncarpia glomulifera
                                     as a prominent canopy element. Other
                                     species present and varying in
                                     dominance across the site are
                                     Eucalyptus resinifera, E. grandis and
                                     Corymbia intermedia. The subcanopy
                                     is often dominated by young canopy
                                     elements, but also support other
                                     species such as Alphitonia excelsa,
                                     Melaleuca saligna or rainforest species
                                     such as Cryptocarya glaucescens. The
                                     shrub layer is often utterly choked with
                                     Platylobium formosum and other dense
                                     growth. While there are several ground
                                     layer species present, Entolasia stricta
                                     is found as a common element
                                     throughout the site.”
Grassy eucalypt and acacia           Not present.                               Fire intensity may be severe        6
forest, exotic pine plantations,                                                with flame lengths to 20m, but
cypress pine forests, wallum                                                    less attack from embers.
heath.     Predominant mature
canopy height ~20m.
Native grasslands (ungrazed),        Not present.                               Fast moving fires, available to     5
open woodlands, canefields.                                                     fire annually to 4 years.
                                                                                Usually no ember attack,
                                                                                radiant   heat for      >10m,
                                                                                duration <2 minutes.



QIC Noosa Civic Pty Ltd                                   Version 1                                       3 December 2014
J13041_Bushfire Assessment V1.docx                  Commercial in Confidence                                      Page 5