Information response MCU13/0030

     table also presents the hazard scores for a range of vegetation communities. Vegetation
      community data is available in digital map form from the Queensland Herbarium,
      Environmental Protection Agency, at a scale of 1:100,000.


     Table A3.1: Hazard scores and associated fire behaviours for various vegetation
      communities

                                          1
         \’e~ctalioll cOlUllIunities                         Fire heha\’iour                       Hazard
                                                                                                     score

         Wet,sclerophyll forest, tall         Infrequent fires under severe conditions,                10
         eucalypts (>30m), with               flame lengths may exceed 40 m, floating
         grass and mixed shrub                embers attack structures for 1 hour, radiant
         understorey.                         heat and direct flame are destructive for 30
                                              minutes.
         Paperbark heath and                  Fire intensity depends on fuel accumulation,             8
         swamps,eucalypt forest               but can be severe, with fl8iD.e lengths to 20 m,
         with dry-shrub ladder                spot fires frequent across firebreaks" radiant
         fuels.                               heat and direct flame for 15 minutes.
         Grassy eucalypt and acacia           Fire intensity may be severe with fl8iD.e                 6
         forest, exotic pine                  -lengths to 20 m,but less attack from embers.
         plantations, cypress pine
         forests, wallum heath.
         Native grasslands                    Fast moving fires, available to fire annually to          5
     ,




         (ungrazed),open                      4 years. Usually no ember attack, radiant heat
         woodlands, canefields.               for>10m,duration <2 minutes.
         Intact acacia forests, with          Fires infrequent,usually burn oply under                  4
         light grass to leaf litter,          severe conditions, relatively slow fires,                             I

                                                                                                                    II,
         disturbed rainforest.                ,usually little ember attack.
         Orchds, farmlands,           Fir.~s very infrequent, slow mpving, may be                       2
         -lcikuyu pastures.           diffi ult to extip,guish, frequent fire br             .




         Grazed grasslands, slashed   Grazing reduces intensity and rate"ofspread                       2
                                                                                                                    c
                                                                                                                        ,




         grass.                       of fire, duration <;2 minutes.
         Desert lands (sparse fuels), Gaps in fI,lel, usually sldw fire spread.                          1
         mowed g(aSS.
         ’Intact rainforest, mangrove          Virtually fireproof.                                      0
          forest intact riverine
          rainforest.

          Note 1: Vegetation assessment should be based upon examination ofthe vegetation on the subject site and
          surrounding the subject site. Narrow strips ojvegetation may be flammable: however. b hfires will not
          generally reach theirfull intensity where bushfirefronts are less than 100metres wide. For this reason
          thefollowing examples may be viewed as having the "ext lower hazard score (i.e.P perbark heath would
          have a ’Score oJ6 not 8. cypress pineforest 5 not 6):
           ~ areas with a lillear shape (e,g. roadside vegetation beside a clearedpaddock); and
           ~ units ojvegetation less than 50 hectares in area alld more than one kilometrefromc the nearest
                  extensive vegetation.




Al.14 Where the vegetation community is assessed as having a vegetation community hazard
         score ofzero,no other factorsn~ed to be taken into account and the relevant sub-units
         should be given a Low severity of overall bushfire hazard. No further action is required.
                                                                                                                    ~, :

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spp.Guideltne 1/03                                                                                   June 2003
                                                           4S