THE Forestry Corporation of NSW is about to commence hazard reduction burns in up to 20,000 hectares of State forests near Narooma, Bega, Eden and Batemans Bay to protect against wildfires.
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Forest Protection Supervisor Julian Armstrong said hazard reduction burns were a key part of Forestry Corporation’s preparation for fire season each year and were coordinated with other agencies including the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Rural Fire Service.
“Fire season has just wrapped up for another year, which means it’s time to start preparing for next summer,” Mr Armstrong said.
“While we’ve just had a relatively mild fire season, the coastal strip between Nowra and the Victorian border is one of the most fire-prone regions of Australia and managing fuel levels by completing hazard reduction burns is critical to our capacity to manage wildfires over summer.
“There’s a narrow window of opportunity to safely complete hazard reduction burns, when it’s not too hot or damp and the wind conditions limit the impact of smoke on neighbours, so we will be taking advantage of favourable conditions over the coming months to reduce fuel in local forests.
“We will also be burning recently harvested areas to remove flammable material such as leaves and small limbs and create a rich seed bed that promotes the natural regeneration of the forest.
“Burning will start in areas that are not too wet and move to drier areas as winter approaches.
“While Forestry Corporation fire fighters will carefully monitor all controlled burns to ensure they stay within containment lines, we do ask people to pay attention to any signs in the forest or instructions from staff and stay away from any burning or recently burnt areas for their own safety.
“Forest fire fighters play an important role fighting fires in the region’s State forests, but fire prevention is a fundamental part of our role and is a vital way to mitigate the threat of a bad fire season in future years.
“Over the winter months we will also be investing in training fire fighting staff, maintaining and upgrading equipment, improving key forest roads for rapid access and manning fire towers to aid rapid fire detection and quick response next fire season.”
Forestry Corporation is responsible for more than 2.2 million hectares of native and planted forests and has been formally involved in fire-fighting in NSW for almost 100 years.
For more information about hazard reduction burns, contact the Forestry Corporation Batemans Bay Office on 1300 880 548.