MCU14/0106 & OPW15/0001 Appendix F - Ecological and Bushfire Management Response

Noosa Civic Expansion
Bushfire Assessment Report



In order to assess the levels of bushfire hazard associated with a given locality, the area of interest is usually
divided into a number of sub-units, based on:
> 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.

3.1.1            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 3-4 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 3-4        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
                                     (Cardno 2014), the existing vegetation     heat 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.




QIC Noosa Civic Pty Ltd                                Version 2                                                 23 April 2015
J13041_Bushfire Assessment V2.docx               Commercial in Confidence                                             Page 6