While bushfires are essential to the health and long-term sustainability of our remnant bushland, they can have a devastating impact on people, properties and homes.
The importance of hazard reduction burning and an effective Bushfire Risk Management Plan can’t be overstated.
The native plants and wildlife of our bushland reserves are well adapted to cope with fire when it conforms with ecosystem requirements of intensity and frequency.
Council uses managed burns to meet ecological objectives of bush regeneration and for reducing potential hazards to adjoining residential properties. While the risk of a wildfire damaging property or threatening life is relatively low in North Sydney, it’s further reduced by the Bushland Management Team’s hazard reduction activities.
Our bushfire hazard reduction techniques include:
- modification of vegetation structure
- creation of fire management access zones
- manual fuel reduction
- pile burning
- and mosaic broad area burning.
Residents who live in a zone immediately adjacent to bushland are responsible for ensuring that their own properties are prepared for the unlikely event of a wildfire.
In North Sydney, the amount of bushland and its vegetative composition means the risk of a truly damaging bushfire event occurring is slim. However, problems may arise in some locations due to difficult access for emergency service personnel and slower response times caused by traffic or road accessibility.
Our Bushfire Danger Period - Public Access Management Plan, prepared by our Bushfire Management Committee (BFMC), sets out a structured approach to managing public access to the lower North Shore’s National Parks, bushland reserves and open space parks.
This is particularly important during periods when the bushfire danger rating has been identified as severe-to-catastrophic and a total fire ban has been declared.
The Plan provides for the management of public access in:
- Balls Head Reserve
- Berry Island Reserve
- Badangi Reserve
- and Gore Cove Reserve in Wollstonecraft.
If you have concerns about bushfire in your area, contact our Bushland Management Coordinator.
Contact our Bushland Management Coordinator
For more information, contact Council’s Bushland Management Team
