FINAL Ecological Management Plan Stage 1_Grasstree Court 5 February 2021

Ecological Management Plan – Grasstree Court – Lot 6



     5. VEGETATION CLEARING

Following implementation of necessary fencing and other pre-clearing requirements (including Council
acknowledgement) the clearing exercise can commence.

     5.1 Development Area - Lot 6 - Clearing Methodology
The clearing methodology for the development (built) area to be generally as follows:

     •     Implement fauna spotter and habitat protection/identification measures as described above.
     •     Once the trees within the area have been given the all clear from the fauna spotter catcher, the
           trees will be pushed over using controlled felling techniques with a hydraulic excavator.
     •     Fauna spotter catcher will be present for all clearing works.
     •     The vegetation will then be placed in a windrow with a north/south alignment as it is being pulled
           down. This will be repeated until all the vegetation required to be removed to facilitate the
           development has been knocked over and piled into windrows. Once all the vegetation has been
           knocked down, another excavator will be used to downsize the material ready to be mulched,
           where necessary.
     •     A grinder will then be used to process the material into stockpiles throughout the site.
     •     Stockpiles (mulch or soil) where necessary, are to only be placed within development area (i.e. not
           beyond property boundary or within bushfire buffer areas).

Clearing and construction is to be limited to the hours of 6am and 6pm.


     5.2 Bushfire Buffer Areas
Following clearing of development area, an inspection of the bushfire buffer area by the ecologist and
bushfire consultant will occur in order to nominate trees/vegetation for retention.

Tree retention in this area is not mandatory (i.e. not a condition of approval), but desirable where practical
for ecological and landscape purposes but must not generate a bushfire risk. Trees for possible retention
include Glossy black-cockatoo feed trees (Allocasuarina), koala feed trees (i.e. eucalypt and allied species),
grass trees (Xanthorrhoea) and other suitable landscape or habitat specimens (e.g. mature banksias). The
retention of specific (agreed) feed trees has been considered as part of the bushfire management strategy.

Understorey/small trees for the buffer areas are to be cleared by hand (or light equipment) as per the
bushfire management plan/requirements (refer Meridian Urban, 2018).

Note: This area is identified for bushfire management which needs to take precedence over landscaping
and ecology.


     5.3     Clearing Direction
For Lot 6 - clearing to start from Grasstree Court and progress in a north/north-westerly direction.

A Clearing Direction Plan is provided in FIGURE A2.




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