15/16 season progress

The weather in Spring was challenging in finding enough ideal conditions for burning.  DEWNR successfully completed 25 prescribed burns from the spring burning program several have been rollled over into the Autumn program.

Some of the larger burns we're not completed and therefore DEWNR managed to treat 743.3 ha of the 2,032 ha proposed. The autumn program has been updated with 45 proposed burns to be under taken around the state.  The full list can be found on the FM website or by clicking here.

Pinery bushfire

The Pinery bushfire started on Wednesday 25 November, North West of Mallala at approximately 12.15 pm under the influence of strong winds gusting to 90 kph and burnt approximately 40 km through cropping land to the south east before being impacted by a South Westerly wind change. The fire burnt 82,500 hectares with a 262 km perimeter in a single afternoon. Tragically two lives were lost and five people suffered critical injuries, numerous properties were destroyed along with many thousands of livestock as well as significant crop losses.

Multiple Country Fire Service (CFS) resources including aircraft (and two large airtankers from NSW) responded however due to the rate of spread of the fire, smoke and visibility, suppression efforts appeared to be largely ineffective in halting the spread of the fire.

DEWNR staff supported the CFS in roles in the State Operations Centre, air observation, mapping support, Incident Management, predictive modelling, ground observation and on ground firefighting resources.

Approximately 300 interstate resources including firefighters were also responded from Victoria.

Pinery recovery

In December 2015, the State Government donated $1 million to the Pinery Fire Appeal and allocated a further $2 million to assist relief and recovery efforts; and established a Recovery Centre at Gawler.

Immediately after the fire, Natural Resources AMLR and N&Y set up a webpage to provide landholders with information, resources and organisation contacts: http://www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/adelaidemtloftyranges/land/fire-management/pinery-fire-recovery

The website has a range of fact sheets including ‘Fallen trees are vital for recovery’, produced specifically for Pinery. More fact sheets are being produced.

Recovery committees
The two Natural Resources regions have established a Natural Resources Recovery Committee in collaboration with PIRSA, EPA, CFS, and the Wakefield, Light Regional and Mallala councils to ensure a coordinated approach to provision of community support around recovery of natural resources – soils, vegetation, watercourses and primary production.

On-ground works
Through a $49,000 grant partnership between the AMLR NRM Board and PIRSA, delivery of a range of on-ground works to address soil erosion issues will occur. Clay delving and spreading will take place at five demonstration sites across the fire-affected landscape. Field days for local communities will be delivered in partnership with the local Agricultural Bureaus of Freeling, Stockport, Tarlee, Mallala, and Owen. A range of organic materials, such as grape marc and straw will be trialled and incorporated into soil to establish and promote effective soil stabilisation techniques.

A Vegetation Recovery Committee has been established in partnership with Trees For Life, Greening Australia, State Flora, TAFESA, Barossa Bushgardens, local government and several Landcare and community nurseries to provide 20,000 native seedlings to fire affected landholders to re-establish shelterbelts, paddock trees and gardens.

Fire management maps

One of the issues which had been raised in previous discussions was improvements to our on-line mapping systems.  Fire Management Maps, DEWNR’s on-line map viewer for Fire Management information has just been upgraded.  It is now faster, simpler and easier to use.  Prescribed burns can now be found by Park, and in the near future will link to increased burn information. 

The prescribed burn notifications now display a map which links to the burn location in this mapping service.  DEWNR aims to continue developing it over time to further improve its functionality. Explore Fire Management Maps.

Other spatial information relevant to Natural Resources and Conservation can be found at NatureMaps and Enviro Data SA is a reference library of information from DEWNR’s science and monitoring programs.

AFAC excursion

DEWNR Fire and Flood Management hosted international and Australian delegates during two post-conference field trips as part of the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) Conference held in Adelaide in September.

The purpose of the trips, led in conjunction with other government agencies, was to discuss fire and flood risk management issues faced in urban and urban/rural interface areas.

SA’s innovative Prescribed Burn Program, the County Fire Service Community Fire Safe program and local Adelaide Hills residents' bushfire risk management plans were discussed during the first trip, which was led through the Sampson Flat bushfire area.

Prescribed burns

Stay informed about prescribed burns on the Fire Management website.

Contact

For more info or feedback contact us at: DEWNRFireManagement@sa.gov.au.

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