Planned Burning Management

Fuel reduction program

The fuel reduction program is a Tasmanian Government initiative to reduce the risk of catastrophic fires in Tasmania by improving fuel reduction burning throughout the state.

For more information visit the State Fire Management Council webpages or the Tasmania Fire Service Fuel Reduction Program page. The SFMC Document Library is a source of valuable resources including the Planned Burning for Farmers and Landholders booklet.

Planned burning in conservation covenants on private land

Information for land holders about burning in land subject to Conservation Covenants.

Planned Burning in Conservation Covenants FAQ (PDF 136Kb)

fuel reduction burn dry Eucalyptus pulchella forest SE Tasmania

Fuel reduction burn conducted late April 2017 in Eucalytpus pulchella forest with grassy understory Conservation Covenant South East Tasmania. copyright: Janet Smith May 2017

Planned burning on private land - Red Hot Tips program

Red Hot Tips was a program funded by the Tasmanian Government which aimed to increase landholders’ skills and knowledge to enable them to safely and effectively conduct planned burning on their properties.

The Planned Burning Pilot Project developed a range of tools and strategies to assist Tasmanian private landholders with fire management, including the safe and effective use of planned burning.

Leanne Sherriff, Macquarie Franklin

The first stage of the project involved a survey of landholder attitudes to and experience with planned burning. Over 80 landholders from across the state participated in the survey, giving a broad range of opinions and perspectives.

The results from the survey assisted the project team to develop a range of practical tools for both wildfire management and planned burning on private land. A group of 10 pilot farmers based in north east Tasmania and the northern midlands then worked with the project team. Burns were conducted on some of the pilot farmer properties, and these have been written up as case studies. The burns were also used as practical training for the pilot farmers to reinforce the theory learnt at the workshops.

Planned Burning Manual

Guidelines to enable safe and effective planned burning on private land. Technical manual developed from the Planned Burning Project which covers planning for fire management, factors to consider when implementing a burn, post burn monitoring and wildfire.

It is important to perform a risk assessment on the burn prior to going ahead with it. This enables assessment of the relative risk levels of various aspects of the burn, and to have contingency plans in place before the burn is lit. A risk assessment template is available.

Risk Assessment Template (522Kb)

View the completed example on page 34 of the Planned Burning Manual.

Planned Burning Manual (6Mb)

Landholders are strongly encouraged to monitor and review both immediate and long term outcomes from burning on their properties. Monitoring post-burn is critical to prevent fire escapes by checking to see if the fire is still smouldering, or if logs are still burning. It is recommended to complete a post-burn monitoring sheet after each burn.

Post-burn monitoring template (428Kb)

This includes monitoring and recording specific details of the burn such as its success, regeneration through establishment of photo monitoring points, and monitoring the establishment or regrowth of weeds. Information on post-burn monitoring can be found on page 25 of the Planned Burning Manual (see link above).