FROM late November, DEECA will be working in Mirboo North to reduce bushfire risk in nine storm-affected sites and make sure firefighters can access areas they need over the bushfire season.

Windthrown debris across a 768-hectare area has been assessed across Mirboo North and Boolarra, of which, a 288-hectare of forest met the criteria for bushfire risk intervention works to be undertaken.

The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) have collaborated with the University of Melbourne to research how to appropriately respond to the risk. 

The local CFA, Mirboo North & District Community Foundation, Friends of Baths Road Reserve, Preserve our Forests, Mirboo North Landcare, South Gippsland Shire Council and a local ecologist have also been involved in discussions about the intervention works.

“These types of windthrow events are definitely increasing in frequency and severity; and whether that’s a result of climate change, who knows? But it’s a really complex space to work in when you’ve had such an impact in such a small area; it’s a really a heavily localized impact that’s quite severe, really,” explained Andy Gillham Senior Land and Fire Operations Officer from Forest Fire

Management, Victoria (FFMVic) who said their main focus now is firefighter safety and reducing bushfire risk.

“You’re balancing that with the needs of the community, balancing that with the need to protect biodiversity, balancing that to meet the cultural needs of our Indigenous communities. It’s a really complex space and one that really needs open and frank discussion with those groups.”

Nine sites have been identified for mechanical treatment including Baths Road Reserve, areas around Barktown Road, Thorpdale Road and Hoods Hill Road.  

The criteria used to determine if intervention was needed included forest fuel type, proximity to assets, the ability of a fire to establish in the landscape, firefighter safety and suppression effectiveness. 

Biodiversity surveys have been undertaken in the specified areas by an independent contractor to determine the most suitable treatment options. 

“Their job was to look at flora and fauna, focusing on what we know is there, but also their job is to look for new things that we might not have seen or have been previously recorded,” explained Mr Gillham.

“The intervention works are removing and treating coarse woody debris, most of this is on the ground. There are tree branches hanging in trees still, trees are leaning on other trees and they’ll be treated because we need to make the area safe for firefighters.

“There won’t be any targeting of standing trees. So, most of the impacts will be at the ground level or just above the ground. And there are significant species in there, like the burrowing crayfish. We’ll be looking at those reports and making sure we put mitigations in place to protect them.”

There are buffer areas where works might be excluded or modified to protect a particular value, such as a waterway, a threatened plant or habitat for a threatened animal; and where appropriate fallen trees will be left for wildlife habitat and trees with hollows will be retained where possible.

There may be partial closures of reserves when the work takes place and onsite work will generally consist of a single excavator and one or two trucks, which will operate within the Shire’s noise time restrictions.

Any debris removed will be made available to the community from firewood collection areas and other residual material that can’t be made available for community use may be heaped into piles and burnt at a later date. 

There are no works scheduled from Saturday, December 21, 2024, until Monday, January 6, 2025.