Planned burning is the most studied and applied fuel treatment technique for reducing bushfire hazard in Australia. It is predicted that climate change will diminish the opportunities for planned burns and their effectiveness. Non-burn treatments could be used to supplement planned burning. These treatment types include strategic fuel breaks (SFB), where linear areas are regularly maintained (by mulching, slashing or both) to low near-surface and elevated fuel hazard levels, and mulched areas where treatments are less frequent and therefore fuel re-accumulates overtime. However, modelling to quantify fuel recovery and their ability to reduce bushfire risk reduction is rudimentary. This project aims to address key knowledge and process gaps in measuring and assessing the effectiveness of small-scale, non-burn fuel management activities in reducing bushfire risk.
Project timeline: 06/2025 – 06/2027