Max Beukers of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Scott Hetherington of Tweed Shire Council each describe a case study on fire management approaches for koala habitat in New South Wales. They compare and contrast different management approaches from the north and south coast, discussing key outcomes and highlighting the importance of community involvement, collaboration and long term commitments to monitoring. Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.

1. People, fire and koalas
comparing fire management approaches from the far north
and south coasts of NSW
Max Beukers
Senior Planner - Fire & Incidents Management Branch – NSW NPWS
Scott Hetherington
Senior Program Leader Biodiversity - Community and Natural Resources – Tweed Shire Council
NCC Bushfire Conference May 2017

2. What is the problem in common?
• Dominance of long unburnt forests in parts of the landscape increases the likelihood of
high intensity fires
• Increased risk to human life and property, koalas & koala habitat
• However, community concern about impact of controlled burns on koala populations and
its ability to restore forest stands damaged by past land uses and lack of fire management
• Fire exclusion presents additional risk of habitat loss through vegetation transition

3. Why solve it?
• New koala conservation management protocols being considered by NSW Chief Scientist
who is seeking advice from NPWS
• Bushfire strategic frameworks are being reviewed by NPWS and RFS to focus on risk
• Increasing settlement of near forest edges along NSW coast
• Koala population is decreasing in NSW, including endangered population listing for Tweed

4. Two
Case
Studies
Far North Coast Far South Coast

5. Study Area
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
Study Area NPWS Council Bushland Private
Area(ha)
Tenure
Tenure (ha)
FSC FNC

6. 0
50
100
150
200
FSC FNC
Individuals(n)
Area
Koala population (n)
0
4000
8000
12000
16000
20000
FSC FNC
Individuals(n)
Area
Human population (n)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
FSC FNC
Assets(n)
Areas
Dwellings (n)
0
20
40
60
80
100
FSC FNC
AreaForested(%)
Areas
Area forested (%)

7. Fire history
0
400
800
1200
1600
2000
Too Frequently
burnt
Vulnerable to
Frequent Fire
Within Threshold Long Unburnt
Biodiversity Thresholds
0
400
800
1200
1600
2000
Very Low Low Medium High Very High
Bushfire Risk
Burn status in Koala Habitat

8. Fire history
57% of koala habitat - high to very high risk of wildfire
45% of koala habitat - overdue for fire based on fire interval
1982
1994
2005
2009
2016

9. What is the solution?
• Engage and plan together
• Community engaged in risk mapping + planning
• Community considers treatment options
• Open assessment of likelihoods, cost & benefits
• Burn program acceptance by community
• Guidelines adopted to implement burns
• Monitor outcomes
• Be prepared to adapt management

10. FNC: How did we implement the solution?
Far North Coast
• Landscape analysis – fire history,
ecological thresholds
• Management plan – prioritises burn
requirements within legislative and
conservation values context
• Live development of HR guideline –
practical strategies
• Implement on bushland reserves
• Wildfire response – to assist when it
happens anyway
Step 1 – Compare fuel hazard
with canopy height over
entire burn area ( ) to
identify Canopy Scorch Risk
Areas ( )
Step 2 –Survey Canopy Scorch
Risk Areas ( ) for koala
presence to identify Koala
Risk Areas ( )
Manage Risk - Within Koala
Risk Areas ( ) manage risk
by mechanical fuel reduction,
burn tactics or exclude area
from burn.
Pre-burn
treatments
Identify koala risk areas by undertaking Overall Fuel Hazard Assessments & pre-burn koala
survey.
Where necessary manage risk in koala risk areas through:
 manual fuel reduction, including raking surface fuels and trimming of elevated fuels
away from the bases of active trees,
 wetting down around the bases of active trees prior to the burn, and/or
 exclusion of area from burn using containment lines or sprinkler lines
When establishing or maintaining Asset Protection Zones (APZs)
 preferred koala food trees should be preferentially retained.
 trees to be lopped or removed are to be checked for koalas prior to works. If
present, the works must be postponed until the koala has moved on of its own
accord.
Treat environmental weeds which may be advantaged by the burn.
Fire Interval Burn within the parameters recommended for the fire vegetation group (Table 1), but
should aim for lower end of that range where strategic hazard reduction is required.
Season April–September
Burns should avoid koala breeding season (September to January)
FFDI ≤ 11 (Low - Moderate)
Soil
moisture
Good soil moisture is desirable to reduce scorch height and limit leaf drop post fire.
Fire
Intensity
Avoid high intensity fires that consume or scorch tree canopies.
Within koala risk areas - Low and occasionally moderate intensity.
Within koala risk areas, if flame height reaches 20% of height to base of canopy fire must
be suppressed.
Outside koala risk areas - Low to Moderate with occasional high intensity.
Burn Tactics The following burn tactics should be considered in koala risk areas as appropriate.
 Test burn the site to ensure canopy will not be scorched.
 Avoid a running-fire toward the koala risk area.
 Where the koala risk area occurs in low lying areas, utilise the surrounding
topography to create a low-intensity backing fire that travels down the slope
towards the area.
 Use appropriate lighting patterns along the margin of the koala risk area, to
promote a low-intensity backing fire that burns away from area; such as:
o commence lighting on the leeward (smoky) edge using either spot or strip
lighting or a combination of both.
o spot ignition can be used to reduce intensity of a fire in or adjacent to koala
risk areas. Widely-spaced spot ignition will promote a slower-moving and more
manageable fire, while spots closer together will result in a line of a greater
intensity (as spots merge and create hot junction zones).
3.1 ha
6.9 ha
4.4 ha

11. FSC: How did we implement the solution?
• Collate existing survey, habitat & asset mapping

12. FSC: How did we implement the solution?
• Map feasible 10 year burn
programs

13. • University of Melbourne run Wildfire Simulation Phoenix RapidFire (v5.0)
• Produces gridded maps of fire characteristics within study area.
• burn probability, flame length, intensity and ember density.
• For 15 worst days in last 20 years
FSC: How did we implement the solution?

14. FSC: How did we implement the solution?
• Compare cost benefit of each option assessed with community

15. Outcomes
Far North Coast
• Priority actions specified
• Materials published and available for
consideration by others
• Working relationship with district
and brigades beneficial in all
situations
• Koalas and habitat issues integrated
to risk plan and on BFMC agenda
• Council’s role as land manager and
facilitator of communications
improved
Far South Coast
• Preferred option applied in NPWS
Reserve Fire Management Strategy
and RFS Bushfire Risk Management
Plan
• Use of Aboriginal cultural burning
being explored
• Increasing use of RFS Hotspots
program for greater community
engagement
• Change in landholder opposition to
fire and shift toward APZ management
on private property

16. 10
10
10
Lessons Learned
Far South Coast
• Engage community
• Right survey technique for population
• Koala population at risk from bushfire
• Long term commitment
• Bushfire risk comparisons work
• Use existing programs
• Engage existing fire management
organisations
Far North Coast
• Working with existing fire agencies
critical & hugely beneficial
• Ongoing community education &
engagement essential
• Long term commitment
• Fire exclusion is a big issue
• Importance of planted habitat post
fire
10
10

17. Key Messages
• One size does not fit all
• Advantage of collaboration
• Involve community to change perceptions
• Use outcomes to adapt management
• Excluding fire risks koala population decline
through habitat change and bushfires

18. Where to from here?
• Help communities understand consequence of (in)actions
• Coordinate fire and land management approaches
• Select survey and mapping based on scale, time and
resources
• Monitor changes in koala populations and habitat
occupancy, with and without fire over the long term
• Build a toolkit of survey, assessment and fire tactics for
use by local fire, land and community groups

19. Acknowledgments
• Andy Baker
• NSW RFS Far North Coast
• NSW NPWS
• Northern Rivers Fire and Biodiversity
Consortium
• University of Melbourne
• NSW NPWS Far South Coast &
Regional Operations
• NSW RFS Far South Coast
• Forest Corporation NSW
• Hotspots

20. Questions?

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25. Questions?