Prescribed Burning

Prescribed burning involves the controlled application of fire under specified environmental conditions to a predetermined area and at a time, intensity and rate of spread required to attain planned resource management objectives (AFAC 1997). These objectives may include habitat management, fuel reduction, species regeneration or maintenance of ecosystem health

Fuel reduction burning generally aims to reduce the amount of ground fuels including grass, leaf litter and twigs, elevated fuels, including dead suspended fuel material and shrub layers in forests as well as bark on trees.

As far as possible fuel reduction burns and biodiversity management objectives are aligned.

Fuel Management Implications

Advantages

• Effective method for broad scale fuel reduction
• Reduction in available fuel levels and spatial distribution
• Cost; and
• Prescribed burning is less influenced by site accessibility.

Disadvantages

• Limited number of days with suitable weather conditions; and
• Not practical for some vegetation types.