The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is planning to undertake a strategic hazard reduction burn in Jervis Bay National Park adjacent to Hyams Beach village on 20 May 2019.
This burn will cover about 15 hectares and will see the closure of parts of Jervis Bay National Park during and after the burn to ensure visitor safety. The burn is located immediately west of the village, north of Booderee Avenue.
The burn aims to reduce the volume of naturally accumulated fuels that will assist in limiting the intensity and rate of spread of any wildfire that may occur.
Hyams Village walking trails (also known as Sals Trail) as well as the Pipeline Trail will be closed to public access for the duration of the burn.
Visitors planning a trip to the Shoalhaven area of Jervis Bay National Park are advised to check the NPWS website for information detailing closures and updates on the timing of the burn.
Residents and visitors are warned that some people, including the elderly and people with respiratory conditions, may be sensitive to bushfire smoke. It is recommended that those residents who may be affected by smoke remain indoors and close windows during burning operations. Smoke hazard signs will be erected on main access roads a few hours prior to the commencement of the prescribed burn.
The proposed burn will be part of hazard reduction operations undertaken by NPWS across NSW each year, many with assistance from the Rural Fire Service (RFS) and Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW).
This work is occurring under the NSW Government’s $76 million package, over six years, to boost bushfire preparedness and double hazard reduction in the state’s national parks, where conditions allow.
For health information relating to smoke from bush fires and hazard reduction burning, visit the NSW Health website or the Asthma Foundation.
More information on hazard reduction activities: Rural Fire Service and the RFS “Fires near me app.”
For further enquiries contact the Nowra National Parks and Wildlife Service office on (02) 4428 6300.
