About us

Recent rain timely benefit for national park burn-offs

Media release: 9 April 2014

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is ready to roll with the next round of hazard reduction burns, with the recent rain providing some much needed moisture to areas which were too dry to burn.

Acting Northern Rivers Regional Manager, John Fisher, said the dry spring and summer provided a great chance to undertake preparations such as maintaining fire trails and breaks in parks and other reserves across the Northern Rivers Region.

“For quite some time it has been too dry to safely conduct prescribed burns and during these times the NPWS shifts resources to preparing fire trails”, Mr Fisher said.

“Over one hundred kilometres of fire trails have been cleared and slashed and important fire breaks on the edges of towns and villages such as Evans Head, Byron Bay and Woombah have been prepared”, he said.

“Some of this work has included repairs to typically boggy sections of trail with culverts constructed and gravel deposited where trails cross swampy areas.

“NPWS staff have also been busy preparing burn plans which are used to guide each controlled burning operation.

“Burn plans for approximately 40 locations covering an area of over 5,000 hectares have been approved and are now ready to be implemented as soon as conditions permit.

“The NPWS is now in an excellent position to conduct hazard reduction programs as soon as appropriate windows-of-opportunity arise and according to day to day weather conditions.

“People should expect to see plenty of smoke coming out of national parks in the Northern Rivers over the next few months”, Mr Fisher said.

Statewide the NPWS has already undertaken over 700 hazard reduction activities covering more than 50,000 hectares for 2013-2014.

This is on top of a 2012-13 record 208,000 hectares in 1300 separate fuel reduction activities. Totalling more than 80% of all hazard reduction effort for NSW.

The NPWS plans to treat an average of over 135,000 hectares per year in 800 or more planned hazard reduction activities.

For further information on burns in the Northern Rivers Region please refer to the Rural Fire Service www.rfs.nsw.gov.au where NPWS prescribed burns are listed.

Contact: Lawrence Orel

Page last updated: 27 June 2014