The AG met in April. After updates on the Brim Springs Heritage Day, fire recovery projects, and plans for a post burn inspection, Ranger Jill Read gave a presentation on the Fire Ecology Strategy (FES) she is working on. The Greater Grampians Fire Ecology Strategy will become input to overall Fire Planning for the region. How it fits is illustrated in the diagram below with the Code of Practice being the prime document.
Code of Practice Fire Protection Planning + Fire Ecology Strategy –> Fire Management Plan Fire Operations Plan (3yr forward looking plan) Individual Burn Plans (lighting patterns, significant values etc)
The Greater Grampians includes the Grampians National Park, the Black Range State Park and interconnected public land. The FES helps to provide a big picture view of what the Grampians might look like in 10-20 years time. The FES takes a landscape approach and also looks at specific fauna habitat requirements. The scope includes Cultural and Catchment requirements. The FES includes a new way of looking at fire in the landscape, breaking the land into Biophysical units.
Ballarat Uni was originally given the brief of looking at physical barriers that may provide barriers to dispersal, but the available data was more related to specific research. Ballarat Uni then looked at broader landscape features such as catchment basins and ridgelines. They ended up with 15 Biophysical units. Ballarat Uni has also done an assessment of the vegetation types in each of the Biophysical units. Maps will be available once the FES is completed.
Products from the FES will include:
- Land Management Objectives (with fire)
- Key fire response species
- Growth stage (age since fire) analysis
- Values that may fall through broad management net (BTRW, Borya etc.)
- What are the information gaps (research)
- Fire monitoring ties in with “Signs of Healthy Parks” monitoring
Jill noted that the fire history may not always be as accurate as we like. However, the FES is only a guide and nothing beats going out and having a look on ground to check if the key fire response species are ready to burn. The area might not be ready to burn for a number of other reasons such as drought, severe frost etc. There were many questions. For instance, whether invertebrates were included in the key indicator species. (Jill replied: not here yet but in the Little Desert they had a butterfly, ant, wattle link) and whether there will be a role for volunteers (yes). At this stage it is still a draft document but Jill said that the FES, once completed, would provide scientific input into long term integrated fire planning.