Bushfire Hazard Assessment & Management Plan

Bushfire Hazard Assessment & Management Plan – v2                                   NCES REF: ELK 2016-04
Lot 70 on M37807 – 28 Elkhorn Drive, Tewantin




5.3 Quantitative Hazard Assessment

5.3.1 Fuel Load Assessment
An assessment of the fuel load contained within the bushland units within and bordering the
site was undertaken as per Gould et al. 2007, and consisted of measuring the amount of fuel
present within the various layers of the assessed vegetation communities. The location of the
fuel load plots is shown in Plate 6 with the results presented in Table 2.




                                                                           Plot 2


                                                    Plot 1




                 Plate 6 – Location of Fuel Load Assessment Plots (Source: Google Earth)

                                      Table 2 – Fuel Assessment
                                                                      Plot 1 –       Plot 2 -
                                                                      VU1            VU2
         Surface Fuel                        Depth (mm)               0              15
                                             Hazard Score             0              2
                                             Available Fuel (t/ha)    0              6-10
         Near-Surface Fuel                   Hazard Rating            Nil            Moderate
                                             Hazard Score             0              2
                                             Available Fuel (t/ha)    0              2
         Elevated Fuel                       Hazard Rating            0              High
                                             Hazard Score             0              3
                                             Available Fuel (t/ha)    0              2-3
         Bark                                Hazard Score             1              1
                                             Available Fuel (t/ha)    1              1
         Slope (degrees)                                              0              10
         Tree Height (metres)                                         26             26
         Available Fuel (t/ha)                                        1              11-16

Table 2 illustrates the impact the managed understorey conditions within VU1 has on total
available fuel loads hence fire risk. It is noted that the overall tonnage per hectare in VU2 at
11-16 t/ha is currently lower than the standard input tonnage used for open eucalypt forest in
the AS3959-2009 assessment methodology, which uses 35 t/ha for such forest types. It is
therefore likely that fuel loads will continue to increase within the offsite bushland in the
absence of natural fire and/or controlled fires at the site.




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