2021-02-09 Planning and Environment Committee Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                   9 FEBRUARY 2021


The prioritisation shown in Map 1 informs the levels of service required by Council’ Natural Areas
team to protect, enhance or continue long term monitoring of the reserve.


2.    Draft Noosa Bushland Reserve Strategic Fire Management Plan (FMP) 2021
In 2015 Council adopted the Noosa Bushland Reserve Fire Management Plan. Being a 5-year plan
this document is now up for review. The Draft Bushland Reserve Strategic Fire Management Plan
2021 replaces the 2015 Plan and has been updated to take a greater risk-management approach,
recognising that there are multiple factors involved including risks to staff and contractors,
neighbours and biodiversity.
Similar to the Draft Bushland Reserve Strategic Management Plan, the Fire Management Plan
applies a methodology to identify the highest priority reserves for management. Risk has been
assessed for:
     On reserve: Staff, contractors, volunteers, visitors and biodiversity
     Off reserve: Risks to neighbours
The risk assessment has been informed by the following mapping products provided by Queensland
Government:
     Potential Bushfire Intensity mapping,
     Broad Vegetation Group (BVG) mapping which informs planned burn frequencies
     Bushfire Interface Zone mapping
Each of the risk categories have been weighted, with a heavier weighting towards immediate reserve
neighbours, and a final risk score applied. Those reserves with assessed Very High to High risks (as
shown Map 2) are identified as a priority for management and are included in a 5-year operational
plan of works to help mitigate risk to life and property.
These works may include fire trail widening or extensions and the establishment of Fuel Reduction
Zones (FRZ) and planned burns, depending on further on-ground assessment and site suitability.
The FMP also provides standards for fire trails, based on the level of risk along the common
boundary interface.
It is important to note that current bushfire risk levels can change very quickly (e.g. consistent rain,
lack of fire fuel load from a previous bushfire or planed burn, new roadways acting as fire break).
Map 1 is a strategic map only that does not consider current or recent mitigations already in place.
The final reserve risk assessment to inform works can only be done through consideration of current
data and information and through an annual on-ground assessment.
Bushland reserves in red and orange are assessed as having Very High to High Risk and are a
priority for fire management.




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