2015-04-28 Infrastructure & Services Committee Agenda

INFRASTRUCTURE & SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   28 APRIL 2015




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The following documents can assist to inform future planned burning programs:
e    QPWS Planned             Burn Guidelines for the Southeast Queensland                            Bioregion of Queensland”
     (2013)
e    QPWS Planned Burn Guidelines: How to Assess if Your Burn is Ready to Go
e    SEQ Fire and Biodiversity Consortium — Fire Management Operational Manual (2002) can be
     used to guide future burn programs.
Depending on the vegetation type, too frequent burning will encourage vegetation to become fire
dependant. Too infrequent burning can result in the loss of certain species that rely on a                                             fire
affected vegetation structure or require fire for germination and dispersal. The SEQ Fire and
Biodiversity Consortium provide a fact sheet on fire regimes for broad vegetation groups. This is
shown below.

   Recommended fire regime guidelines for broad vegetation groups within SEQ. Please mote this Is not a definitive list, but rather
   representative of the mast common broad vegetation types within SEQ. Information has been adapted from “Planned Burn Guidelines
   - Southeast Queensland Bioregion of Queensland” produced by the QPW'S and the REDD.
    Tall open forest with a canopy typically dominated by | Frequency: Minimum 20 years for tall open forest dominated by
   flooded gum, tallowwood, Sydney blue gum, brushbox | Lophostemon confertus or Eucalyptus grandis, or for forest with vine
    and turpentine. The understorey is often dominated by | forest or mixed rainforest understorey. For tall open & saligna forest,
    rainforest species, but also includes grassy of shrubby | vary intervals between 3 ~ 6 years for grassy understorey and 7 ~ 25 years
    remnants. Communities are found in wetter parts | for shrubby understorey. Extent: For £. saligna 40-60%. Seasom: Late
    of SEQ. on elevated slopes, ranges and gullies, often | Summer to Autumn. Intensity: Moderate to high.
    surrounding rainforest and/or with vine understorey. | WB: Planned buming is necessary to maintain tall open E; safigna forest
                                                      with a grassy or shrubby understorey. If you wish to maintain a rainforest
                                                      understorey or sub-canopy, fire is not recommended.
    Open forests and woodlands with the canopy | Frequency: Vary intervals between 3 - 6 years for grassy understorey and
    generally dominated by eucalypts, angophoras and | 7-25 years for shrubby understorey. Extent: 40 - 80%, Season: January to
    bloedwoods, The understorey may be grassy, shrebby | August (with good soil moisture), Intensity: Lov to moderate,
    or mixed. Communities are found on coastal lowlands,
    alluvial plains and inland hills and mountain ranges,
    Grassland (\.2. treeless and shrubless} areas dominated | Frequency: Vary intervals between 2 - 3 years where woody weeds are ary
    by tussock grasses (e.g. Pod fabilardieril, restricted ta | issue, longer intervals for a healthy system free from forest encroachment,
    the Bunya Mountains and known as “grassy bald"    Extent: Avoid burning more than 50% in any one year. Season: Spring to
                                                      Autumn following good rain. Intensity: Low to high.
    Wet and dry coastal heath, including sedgelands, | Frequency: Vary intervals between 7 — 20 years, with an emphasis on 8
    wallum banksia and low mallee woodlands.          ~ 12 years for dry coastal freath. Extent: 40 - 80% (40-60% for dry coastal
                                                      heath). Season: January to August. Intensity: Moderate
    Montane heath - heathland located on rocky mountain | Frequency: Depends on the relationship with surrounding vegetation,
    peaks, exposed ridges and plateaus on poor soils, but intervals of 1S - 50 years are recommended. Extent: Burn in
                                                      association with surrounding vegetation. Season: Late wet season (ie.
                                                      February) to early dry season (i.e, August}. Intensity; Low to moderate.
    Melaleuca  (paperbark}  communities,   including | Frequency: Vary between 6 - 20 years for mixed grass/shrub understorey;
    melaleuca swamps, melaleuca woodlands and open | 3 - 12 years for heath understorey and 12 - 20 years for sedge/fern
    forest dominated by Melolewca quinguenervia (Swamp | understorey. Extent: 25-70% in association with surrounding vegetation.
    Paperbark).                                       Season: January to July following rain. Intensity: Low to moderate.
    Coastal fringing forest of Swamp She-oak (Casuarina | Frequency: Vary intervals between 6 — 7 years Extent: Avoid burning
   gicuca),                                           more than 50% in any one year, Season: January to August, ideally in
                                                      association with surrounding vegetation, Intensity: Low,
    Riparian (creekside) vegetation (including blue gum, | Do not burn - fire sensitive. Burm out from the edge to surrounding
    river oak and weeping bottlebrush) and foredune | vegetation where necessary to minimise fire incursion.
    communities (including casuarina and spinifex grasses),
    Mangrove and saltmarsh                            Mangroves do not require fire and generally do not burn. Saltmarshes are
                                                      potentiaily flammabse, do not require fire and should not be deliberately
                                                      burnt. Burn out fram the edge to surrounding vegetation where necessary
                                                      to minimise fire incursion.
    Rainforest, dry vine forest and brigalow          Do not burn - fire sensitive. Bum out from the edge to surrounding
                                                      vegetation where necessary to minimise fire incursion,
Planning      for   ecological       burning     requires      comprehensive          fire   history    records.      Fire    history    of
bushland reserves is to be recorded in Council’s GIS Mapping system. The State Public Safety
Business Agency (PBSA) is also developing a register to record fire history.
The development of a bushland reserve planned burning program to maintain biodiversity values is
also a key action in the Fire Management Plan.

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