The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will be conducting a large hazard reduction burn in Richmond Range National Park starting Thursday 24 August.
NPWS Team Leader Matt Wiseman said the burn has been carefully planned and resourced in collaboration with the Northern Rivers district of the NSW Rural Fire Service.
“This large, 1438-hectare burn is a critical piece in the puzzle to protect the national park and private properties from future bushfires,” said Mr Wiseman.
“The Richmond Ranges are home to a number of threatened species, including the endangered mountain frog and black striped wallaby and the vulnerable long nosed potoroo and red legged pademelon. This low-to-moderate intensity burn will help to protect this critical habitat by reducing the severity of future bushfires.
“The burn will also provide wildfire mitigation and suppression benefits to rural properties west of the national park.
“The burn will take approximately four days to complete, commencing at 10.30 am on Thursday and continuing over the weekend, and will be undertaken with extreme care,” said Mr Wiseman.
All management trails in the area, including Richmond Range trail, Finneys trail and Flora Reserve trail, will be closed for the duration of the burn operation to ensure public safety. The public are reminded not to enter closed areas.
People vulnerable to smoke are encouraged to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed to reduce exposure.
Hazard reduction burns are essential to reduce bushfire fuel loads to help protect parks, neighbours and communities from future bushfires. This burn is one of many hazard reduction operations undertaken by NPWS each year, many with assistance from the Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW.
All burns around the state are coordinated with the NSW Rural Fire Service to ensure the impact on the community is assessed at a regional level.
