The National Parks and Wildlife Service’s (NPWS) autumn 2023 fire management program is to include 51 prescribed burns, starting this week.
According to NPWS, it expects to be more successful than the anticipated spring in 2022, when it could only complete 33 out of its planned 46 prescribed burns.
The Service said prescribed burns were a vital fire management tool for reducing fuel loads across public and private land and helping protect communities and industries by limiting the spread and intensity of bushfires.
It said that every opportunity was taken to complete as many burns as possible in suitable weather and fuel conditions during spring and autumn, especially in the lead-up to predicted hot and dry El Nino conditions in expected years.
Director of Fire and Flood Management in NPWS, Fiona Gill said the autumn 2023 prescribed burns program would respond to seasonal weather patterns rather than set dates.
“Prolonged smoke exposure, generally from bushfires, can affect the quality of grapes used in wine production,” Ms Gill said.
“Some regional wine associations and individual growers, particularly in the Adelaide Hills region, favour deferring all burning until the grape harvest is complete,” she said.
“However, adopting this approach would increase the risk of bushfires and resultant smoke taint, and NPWS would not adequately meet its statutory responsibilities and objectives to reduce bushfire risk on public land.”
“The NPWS fire management team will continue to work with industry groups and stakeholders, including grape growers and winemakers, to achieve a balanced approach.”
NPWS said that burns which can’t be completed due to unsuitable weather are rolled over to the following spring or autumn as part of an ongoing, rolling 3-year mitigation program.
It said that in South Australia, prescribed burns were a shared responsibility between the Country Fire Service, government agencies that manage land (DEW, ForestrySA and SA Water), councils and private landholders.
The NPWS list of planned prescribed burns is available on its website at this PS News link.
