AD SPACE HERE

New Projects to Protect NSW’s Timber Plantations from Bushfires

Funding has been endorsed for 15 local projects which will form a network of enhanced fire protection initiatives across the Murray region, including Greater Hume, Snowy Valleys, Cootamundra-Gundagai. Albury and Wagga Wagga LGAs.


Tue 28 Jan 25

SHARE

As the Los Angeles fires continue to burn out of control, NSW is taking steps to protect its “critical” timber assets – with the state government introducing a raft of projects to preserve its plantations from bushfires.

The $13 million Plantation Fire Protection fund saw 15 local projects, from fire detection technology to aerodrome-based water supplies for firefighting, chosen by a panel comprising the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), and the Softwoods Working Group to deliver fire protection, hazard reduction, and better response for plantations and communities in the Murray region.

“The Murray region was hit hard in the 2019/20 bushfires, and we lost a significant stock of our future housing timber—we can’t afford to lose more,” according to Tara Moriarty, Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW. “These projects will play a vital role in protecting the remaining critical timber supplies in the Murray region as we move into the 2024-25 bushfire season and beyond.”

“These same timber plantations will produce the quality timber our NSW housing sector so desperately needs now and for generations to come, so it’s important to find ways to protect them from bushfires.”

Tara Moriarty, Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW.

According to Dr Joe McGirr, the local member for Wagga Wagga, memories of the disastrous Dunns Road fire more than five years ago are still fresh in local minds. “The softwoods industry is an economic powerhouse for the local economy, so it’s essential that all steps possible are taken to protect livelihoods and businesses that depend on safe and secure plantations.”

“The enhancements at the Tumut aerodrome will be an important addition to the region’s firefighting capacity,” Dr McGirr said. “This is the result of positive collaboration between industry, the Rural Fire Service, Snowy Valleys Council and government, and I congratulate all involved.”

Approved projects include:
  • $1,100,000 for the upgrade of the Ellerslie Range Fire Trails Program, which is strategically important to protect at-risk plantation estates in the Snowy Valley, which includes the Southern Cross Forest complex, Green Hills and Bago State Forests;
  • $983,339 for the upgrade and maintenance of priority fire trails in Bondo, Bago, Carabost and Jingellic State Forests;
  • $5,720,000 for Tumut Aerodrome to improve water supply for aerial firefighting and the construction of a hangar for fire suppression aircraft;
  • $100,000 for two high volume trailer mounted water pumps for rapid refilling of water transport trucks and fire tankers, to be housed in the Bondo forest depot and Ardrossan forest depot;
  • $329,490 for a network of Remote Automated Weather Stations to provide data to the Bureau of Meteorology to inform fire preparedness and response across the region;
  • $145,625 for firefighting water storage in strategic locations exposed to uncontrolled fires – for both private and public plantation land in the Ellerslie forests area to the west of Adelong, forest areas to the west of Humula, Carabost State Forest and Murraguldrie State Forests;
  • $456,000 for two bulk tankers to transport firefighting water to be housed at Green Hills;
  • $387,106 for specialist tractor and mulcher, based in Tumbarumba, to undertake growth suppression and non-burn hazard reduction in key fire corridors;
  • $1,537,800 for an all-terrain firefighting machine with a water tank and high-flow water pumps that will deliver large volumes of water in difficult plantation situations to be housed in the Tumut area;
  • $828,139 to expand the PSN (Public Safety Network) radio network for plantation workers across the Murry region;
  • $325,000 for three additional fire detection cameras on Mt Ikes, Table Top and Mt Flakney to complete the network monitoring of the Murray Valley timber plantation estate;
  • $220,000 for the Australian Fire Danger Rating System – which provides critical data to assess fire risk across the Murray region;
  • $767,500 to upgrade cabins in five fire towers to ensure early detection in Munderoo Fire Tower (Snowy Valleys), Tumorrama Fire Tower (Snowy Valleys), Burngoogie Fire Tower (Wagga Wagga), Kendall Fire Tower (Snowy Valleys) and Kangaroo Fire Tower (Cootamundra-Gundagai).

Together, the projects from Greater Hume, Snowy Valleys, Cootamundra-Gundagai, Albury, and the Wagga Wagga local government areas will be administered as a pilot program. DPIRD will undertake monitoring and evaluation to help determine the potential to broaden the program across the State.

Author

  • Wood Central

    Wood Central is Australia’s first and only dedicated platform covering wood-based media across all digital platforms. Our vision is to develop an integrated platform for media, events, education, and products that connect, inform, and inspire the people and organisations who work in and promote forestry, timber, and fibre.

spot_img

Related Articles