John O’Donnell

The NSW Rural Fire Service Annual Report 2021/22 is now available for viewing.

The report notes there are a number of achievements.

Hazard reduction burning and mechanical removal totalled 45,642 hectares for NSW (Appendix 1 Section 1.5 Completed Hazard Reduction Areas Summary by Tenure and Method):

• 36,266 ha burning.
• 9,376 ha mechanical.

There is an additional reference in Appendix 1 Section 1.5 to RFS burning of 5,212 ha, it is suspected most of this area has been included in the above data, but it is not clear. The Annual Report notes:

“While not a land management agency, members of the Service contribute significantly to hazard reduction activities in support of land management agencies and private property owners. During the reporting year, the Rural Fire Service undertook 369 hazard reduction works comprising approximately 5,212 hectares of hazard reduction work …”.

As noted on page 6 of the Annual Report:

“The wet conditions created prolific grass and crop growth in parts of NSW and presented the Service with significant obstacles in carrying out hazard reduction activities. These twin factors saw an increased risk of grass fires in Central and Western NSW, and while the increased rainfall meant the expected fires did not eventuate, the risk remains for future fire seasons“.   

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 per cent of NSW forested area);
• 199,248 hectares in 2018/ 19 (estimated 1 per cent of NSW forested area);
• 55,548 hectares in 2019/ 20 (estimated 0.3 per cent of NSW forested area); 
• 176,499 hectares in 2020/ 21 (estimated 0.9 per cent of NSW forested area) and
• 44,642 hectares in 2021/ 22 (estimated 0.2 per cent 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 3.1 per cent of the NSW forested landscape has received fuel treatment over five 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 three years old and in many cases there are extensive areas of dead trees, heavy grass/ bark etc fuel and dense understoreys which contribute to a potential timebomb in many bushfire seasons.

Further details highlighting low levels of prescribed burning across Australian states are in my 2022 article, “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.

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, ecological maintenance burning and other available measures.

There are potential opportunities to expand the use of small aircraft, helicopters and drones in 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 clear opportunities to increase low intensity burning and mechanical treatment operations by local government, noting a low level of 1,675 hectares by NSW local government in 2021/22.

There are clear opportunities to increase low intensity burning and mechanical treatment operations across private lands, noting a low level of 2,639 hectares treated across NSW in 2021/22.

There are clear opportunities for cooperative fuel reduction and maintenance programs between private landholders and government.

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 maintenance burning and mechanical treatment.

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 good faith in order to optimise the safety of fire fighters, communities and the environment.

About John O’Donnell

John is a retired district forester and environmental manager for hydro-electric construction and road construction projects.   His main interests are mild maintenance burning of forests, trying to change the culture of massive fuel loads in our forests setting up large bushfires, establishing healthy and safe landscapes, fire fighter safety, as well as town and city bushfire safety.