Item No.	Item Title	Page No.
1	Natural Area Network Fire Management Program Update	6

Environment Committee

Meeting Agenda

3 December

2019

Doc ID No: A5904678

ITEM: 1

SUBJECT: Natural Area Network Fire Management Program Update

AUTHOR: Planning Officer (Natural Environment)

DATE: 15 November 2019

Executive Summary

This is a report concerning an update on the current Natural Area Network Fire Management Program.

Recommendation/s

That the Interim Administrator of Ipswich City Council resolve:

That the report be received and the contents noted.

RELATED PARTIES

No conflicts of interest have been identified.

Advance Ipswich Theme

Caring for the environment

Purpose of Report/Background

In 2015 Council undertook a review of the bushfire management program. Upon internal evaluation of this program, a number of gaps and potential improvements were identified. These included:

· Clarification around the criteria and prioritisation method for intervention and works

· Clarification of the links between fuel load monitoring data and prescribed burn selection

· Update priorities and objectives of the management program with contemporary fire knowledge and methodology

· Improve readiness for the onset of new housing developments adjacent to significant bushland areas

2016 Independent Review

In 2016, Ecological Australia was engaged to conduct an independent review of Council’s Fire Management Program and provide recommendations going forward – Refer Attachment 1. This review was presented at City Works, Parks, Sport and Environment Committee No. 2016(03) of 20 June 2016 and Council Ordinary Meeting of 28 June 2016. Key recommendations included:

· Create a new fire management strategy and reserve specific plans

o Completed – Fire Management Strategic Plan 2017

· Develop a fire referral group to prioritise areas for prescribed burns

o On-going – internal stakeholders meeting regularly to discuss fire management within the Natural Area Estate

· Modernise fuel load assessments and integrate them into decision making

o Completed – Fire Monitoring Program update 2018

· Modernise spatial information relating to fire to proactively plan for fire risk, particularly in urban interface areas

o Completed – decision prioritisation tool on QGIS

2017 Fire Management Strategic Plan

Consultants GHD were engaged to produce a Fire Management Strategy for Council in 2017 – Refer Attachment 2. This strategic plan was adopted at City Works, Parks, Sport and Environment Committee No. 2017(05) of 22 May 2017 and Council Ordinary Meeting 30 May 2017. This strategy covers Council’s Natural Area Estate (NAE), which includes city wide and district level Conservation Estates and Reserves. The strategy sets out the following:

· An analysis of factors that make an area susceptible to bushfire impacts enabling different areas of the NAE to be given a priority rating

· A bushfire risk dashboard created around a multi criteria analysis with weightings reflecting the necessary prioritisation of risk to life and property, to balance with ecological and other outcomes. The outputs include evaluations of:

o Unmitigated risk - if no actions are implemented in an area to address vulnerabilities

o A residual risk - after the implementation of management actions

o The residual risk - following actions coordinated with shared responsibility partners including neighbours and QFES

· Individual risk maps and plans for the various Estates and Reserves

These three outputs allow Council to meet its core objectives of:

· Prioritising works and prescribed burns to areas of greatest vulnerability

· Setting objectives and clear direction for specific geographic areas

· Modernising Councils fuel monitoring program and integrating it into decision making

2018 Update of the Fire Monitoring Program

Following adoption of the Fire Management Strategy, Council wanted to further develop a means for meeting recommendations 3 and 4 of the 2016 Independent Review. Council engaged fire specialists Ten Rivers to further modernise Council’s fire monitoring program and spatial decision making to assist operational works – Refer Attachment 3.

Ten Rivers produced a numbers of outputs with the key deliverable being a highly sophisticated data analysis and decision tool for site prioritisation. The tool is geospatially based and incorporates fuel load data, vegetation condition and risk across the NAE.

OPERATIONAL DELIVERY OF THE FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

The principles of the Strategy have been applied through a spatial analysis to quantify and identify areas for hazard reduction actions and wildfire mitigation infrastructure.

Since the adoption of the Fire Management Strategy the following actions have occurred in line with the strategic and operational recommendations:

· Approximately 350,000 m2 of fuel reduced zones have been installed in areas prioritised through the updated risk assessment matrix

· 43 ha of prescribed burns have been completed, with an additional 90 ha planned for this financial year targeted in areas deemed most appropriate based upon the updates and best knowledge

· Annual fuel monitoring has been undertaken since 2016

· The first round using updated fuel monitoring program methods to be rolled out in this financial year

· Fire management zones for each conservation estate and reserve completed based on strategic prioritisation and risk assessments

Legal/Policy Basis

This report and its recommendations are consistent with the following legislative provisions:

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Act (1990), Sustainable Planning Act (2009), Nature Conservation Act (1992), Environmental Protection Act (1994), Local Government Act (2009), Local Laws

RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

Council mitigates the risk posed to the public and infrastructure by fire in its natural areas by remaining current with assessment and mitigation strategies. This is managed by engaging internal and external reviews and recommendations as and when required and in response to research and evolving understanding of best management practises.

At times council has to prioritise the methods and locations of works when conditions and resources dictate. This is informed by condition and fuel load assessments and the risk management matrixes.

Financial/RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

The current budget for the Fire Management Program in 2019-2020 is $90 000 under the Enviroplan Levy. This budget is specifically for prescribed burns.

This year, additional funding has been redirected from Council’s Conservation Works Program to be used for wildfire mitigation (approximately $120,000), primarily for the purpose of manual fuel reduction and the creation of fuel reduced zones around the highest risk areas.

With increasing proximity of new development, reduced planned burn windows and predictions of hotter drier weather it is envisaged that spending on fire management will be required to increase into the future.

COMMUNITY and OTHER CONSULTATION

· Manager, Environment and Sustainability

Council is also a contributing member of the South East Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium; a representative group of SEQ Local Governments, relevant State Agencies, Utility providers, and the regional Natural Resource Management group. The Consortium provides cross-boundary coordination, and access to contemporary research and data on fire management in natural areas.

Conclusion

Following a review in 2015 of Council’s Natural Area Network Fire Management Program, a number of gaps and potential improvements were identified. To address this Council has carried out works through external consultants to inform of improvements which has resulted in the production of the following reports:

· 2016 Independent Review

· 2017 Fire Management Strategic Plan

· 2018 Update of the Fire Monitoring Program

Recommendations, actions and outputs from the documents listed above have assisted Council to make informed decisions around its fire management planning and risk mitigation strategies.

Council continues to manage the risk of wildfire in natural areas through the principles outlined in the 2017 Fire Management Strategic Plan.