Prescribed burn for Mount Remarkable National Park
A prescribed burn is planned for the Mount Remarkable National Park this Autumn.
Weather permitting, the burn will be conducted on Thursday 15 May 2014 by the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) at Gun Alley South, adjacent the Battery Track.
Natural Resources Northern and Yorke Regional Fire Management Officer Stuart Beinke said Mount Remarkable National Park was not impacted by the recent Bangor bushfire despite being closed for the duration of the fire as a precaution, and the planned prescribed burn is a necessary fire management strategy.
The 170 hectare burn aims to assist landscape protection and reduce the impact and spread of bushfires.
“Fire is a natural feature of the Australian landscape and one to which is it very well adapted,” he said.
“Prior to European colonisation, fire regimes varied in timing, intensity, duration and size which enabled diverse populations of fauna and flora to thrive across entire landscapes.
“Prescribed burning is part of a regionally planned and coordinated fire management program which involves burning a portion of vegetation to change its structure. This helps create a habitat mosaic and additional food for native fauna.
“It also protects the shelter sites of native fauna from bushfire by providing a natural buffer between these areas and the greater landscape.”
Mr Beinke further remarked on the crucial role prescribed burning plays in mitigating the negative effects of large bushfires, and the likely impacts they may have on landholders, livestock, communities and biodiversity.
“We observed first hand during the Bangor bushfire that previous prescribed burning in Telowie Gorge Conservation Park, Wirrabara Forest Reserve and the Beetaloo Valley catchment slowed bushfire movement and modified fire intensity.
“Many of the prescribed burn areas remained intact during the fire, acting as valuable refuge areas for wildlife.
“In the post-bushfire environment these areas are providing the variation in vegetation that is important for maintaining healthy habitats” he said.
Conducting prescribed burning in Mount Remarkable National Park will ensure better fire protection for nearby residents and their property, including the township of Melrose, and will also help protect the environment.
Find out more information about DEWNR's prescribed burns.
