Bushland Fire Management Planning

Effective and efficient fire management requires thorough planning and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation. ​

Terramatrix have extensive experience in fire management planning in urban and peri-urban bushland reserves. Bushfire prevention and protection works can have significant economic and environmental implications, so it is important that planned works are commensurate with the level of risk, address the risk factors present, and are responsive to broader land management objectives. 

Fire management planning, evaluation and auditing services can be tailored to meet the specific needs of individual clients.
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Bushland Fire Management Strategy

A Bushland Fire Management Strategy allows a land manager to take a strategic approach to managing fire risk across their estate. The Strategy provides a framework within which to assess bushfire risk in each of the reserves, identify bushfire management controls, prioritise fire management works and ensure a consistent approach to risk mitigation. 

Fuel Hazard Monitoring

Ongoing monitoring of fuel hazard is an important component of fire management planning in bushland reserves, particularly where prescribed burning is being considered as a management tool. Data is captured on GPS and presented as maps and tables with a brief written summary of findings. 

Fire Ecology Assessment

We can determine the Tolerable Fire Intervals for the vegetation present within a bushland reserve, based on growth stages and key fire response species, and advise on the potential for the use of planned fire as a management tool. 

Fire Safe Landscape Design

We offer detailed landscape design services that assist land managers to undertake appropriate landscaping and planting in areas required to service as defendable space to minimise environmental and aesthetic impact of the defendable space whilst still achieving fire safety outcomes. 

Reserve Fire Management Statement

Small reserves, that are unlikely to generate significant bushfire behaviour, may still need fire prevention works. A simple Fire Management Statement can provide a description of the reserve, document and map the risk controls currently in place, and identify any standard works not in place.

Reserve Fire Management Plan

A comprehensive fire management plan is appropriate for reserves that are large, ecologically sensitive and/or are bordered by numerous houses and/or critical infrastructure. 

Asset Protection Zone (APZ) Analysis

Some land managers want advice solely on APZ width and location to ensure that intensive vegetation management on the perimeter of a reserve will protect adjacent buildings under pre-determined fire weather conditions. This analysis models the behaviour of a fire running through the reserve up to the boundary with private property, and calculates the radiant heat flux on adjacent assets.

Fire Weather Analysis 

Weather is crucial to fire behaviour and so to fire management planning. fire weather varies across the State; there are regional variations as well as the impact of coastal or alpine areas. We analyse Bureau of Meteorology data from relevant Automatic Weather Stations to quantify the fire weather for the area of interest. 

photo credit Burt Knot