Hazard reduction burn in Winburndale Nature Reserve

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) together with the Forestry Corporation of NSW will this week implement two prescribed hazard reduction burns within Winburndale Nature Reserve.

The first burn is at Eskdale Trig which is a 386-hectare prescribed burn, bounded by Clear Creek and several management trails within both Winburndale Nature Reserve and Turon State Forest.

The second burn is at Lagoon Creek which is a 480-hectare prescribed burn, bounded by Lagoon Creek and Mount Schofield Road as well as several management trails within both Winburndale Nature Reserve and Sunny Corner State Forest.

The burns will protect forestry pine plantations and reduce fuel loads and will start around 10am on Tuesday 8 April and continue through to Friday 11 April, weather permitting.

These burns will also enhance the conservation and biodiversity value of the nature reserve by maintaining the floristic and structural diversity of vegetation communities, protect important wildlife habitat and help to mitigate the risk of wildfire on park neighbours by reducing the overall fuel hazard from high to low.

Mopping up operations will continue for several days and public access to the burn area and surrounding tracks will be restricted until a safety assessment is undertaken.

To support the hazard reduction burn, temporary road closures will be in place, and motorists should expect traffic delays and smoke in the area. Drivers are advised to follow all signage and adjust their driving to the conditions.

Hazard reduction burns are a critical measure to reduce bushfire fuel loads, helping to protect parks, neighbouring properties, and communities from future bushfires.

This burn is one of many hazard reduction operations undertaken by NPWS each year, many with assistance from the Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW and NSW Forestry Corporation.

Details on specific burns are made available in advance on the Rural Fire Service website, Hazards Near Me app, and on NPWS Alerts website.

For health information relating to smoke from bush fires and hazard reduction burning, visit NSW Health or the Asthma Foundation.

For up-to-date information on these, and other, planned hazard reduction activities, visit the Rural Fire Service.