John O’Donnell
The NSW Rural Fire Service 2022/2023 Annual Report is now on the web with the link below:
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/resources/publications/annual-reports
The annual report notes there are a number of achievements.
Hazard reduction burning and mechanical removal totalled 90,089 hectares for NSW (Appendix page 100):
- 82,393 ha burning.
- 7,696 ha mechanical.
Unfortunately, areas of annual hazard reduction burning and mechanical reduction in NSW are both at very low rates and vary by year. The areas of fuel reduction in NSW and estimated percentage of forested area based on 20 million hectares of forest in NSW were:
- 147,625 hectares in 2017/ 18 (estimated 0.7 % of NSW forested area).
- 199,248 hectares in 2018/ 19 (estimated 1 % of NSW forested area).
- 55,548 hectares in 2019/ 20 (estimated 0.3 % of NSW forested area).
- 176,499 hectares in 2020/ 21 (estimated 0.9 % of NSW forested area) and
- 44,642 hectares in 2021/ 22 (estimated 0.2 % of NSW forested area).
- 90,089 hectares in 2022/ 23 (estimated 0.5 % (actually 0.045 %) of NSW forested area
Over time, shortfalls and inadequate fuel reduction add up and result in build-up of very high fuel loads and strata across landscapes. Only 3.6 % of the NSW forested landscape has received fuel treatment over six years, this is extremely low and inadequate to reduce bushfire areas and risk.
In addition, the forests with extensive hot bushfires of 2019/ 20 are now 4 years old and in many cases there are extensive areas of dead trees, heavy grass/ bark etc fuel and dense understories contributes to a potential timebomb in many bushfire seasons.
Photo. Recent fuels resulting from the 2019/ 20 bushfires in northern NSW, including heavy undergrowth fuels, dead fuels and heavy grass fuel, not safe conditions for firefighters, especially in adverse conditions.
Further detail that highlight low levels of prescribed burning across Australian states is a 2022 article titled “Review of prescribed burning and wildfire burning areas across Australia”.
This information and graph puts prescribed burning and wildfire (bushfire) areas in each of the States across Australia into perspective. The tabulation in regards to NSW is very clear, particularly in regards to ongoing inadequate prescribed burning over the long term, resulting in increased bushfire areas and risks.
In relation to the risk remaining for future fire seasons, it is critical the bushfire risks for future fire seasons are soundly addressed, potentially including increased programs to manage fuels to catch up on shortfall seasons, fully using the additional fire mitigation employees identified in earlier NSW media releases, expanded maintenance burning and other available measures.
There are large opportunities to expand the use of small aircraft, helicopters and drones for low intensity burning operations, using placed grid patterns for fires to join up in the cool of the evening and unburnt patches. There are potential opportunities for a number of prescribed burning drones with individual brigades/ mitigation officers and fire regions
There are apparent opportunities to increase low intensity burning and mechanical treatment operations across private lands, noting a level of 4,270 hectares treated across NSW in 2022/23. Using a forest area of 6,937,308 hectares on private lands, this represents 0.06 % of forest area treated per year. There are major apparent opportunities for cooperative fuel reduction and maintenance programs between private landholders and government.
There are apparent opportunities to increase low intensity burning and mechanical treatment operations by local government, noting a level of 4,254 hectares by NSW local government in 2022/23. This had increased from 2021/ 22.
Resilient safe, healthy landscapes is a critical issue being considered in many countries across the world, including work in the US on resilient landscapes in relation to bushfires. Considering the extent of chronic eucalypt decline and thick understories in many NSW forests, strategies and actions to address these major issues across NSW landscapes and reduce intense bushfire risks are opportune but overdue, using low intensity maintenance burning and mechanical treatment of forests.
The safety of fire fighters entering forested areas, particularly where there are high fuel loads, is a critical issue, and is a major risk area and has been for a long time. The same observation applies in relation to the protection of communities, including towns and cities, the safety of communities needs addition mitigation and focussed discussion with communities.
These matters and opportunities are raised in order to optimise the safety of fire fighters, communities, the forests and the environment.