Today marks the end of the State’s Fire Permit Period for 2022-23 and communities are asked to use this time to reduce fuel loads ahead of next summer.
Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, Felix Ellis, said that the end of the fire permit period means that landowners can now complete fuel reduction burns on their own land to manage bushfire risk and avoid potential future devastation to property and infrastructure.
”From 2:00am today you no longer need a fire permit to do fuel reduction burns and autumn is the perfect time to burn off,” Minister Ellis said.
“Fuel loads are high after a number of wet years and with the potential for a hot, high-risk, El Nino summer ahead we need to reduce the danger now.
”Landowners still need to take steps like managing the size of your fire, considering conditions and working closely with your neighbours to make sure that fire and the smoke from your burn isn’t going to impact others.
”Tasmania’s Fuel Reduction Program strategically reduces bushfire risk in the areas that provide the most protection to communities, critical infrastructure and natural values.”
Minister for Primary Industries, Jo Palmer, said the Fuel Reduction Program was nation leading and highly consultative with vineyards and noted this behaviour should be the model for private landowners seeking to conduct burns.
”Engagement with neighbours in the vicinity of any planned burning is critical to ensure smoke will not adversely affect farming or harvesting operations,” Minister Palmer said.
”We emphasise this when it comes to the wine industry, which is particularly vulnerable to smoke at this time of year.
”All landowners should consider whether there is a vineyard nearby – it could be across a river, or over a hill, and it might not be obvious.
”Engage with them early and ahead of time and be open to negotiation and working together so that we can ensure our lands are bushfire safe, and our grapes can be harvested safely.”
Landowners can learn more about how they can reduce the potential impact of smoke taint by going to Wine Tasmania’s website and downloading the TasVine resource.
Last year nearly 32,500 hectares of strategic land was burned to remove leaf litter, shrubs and other debris to reduce the impact of bushfire.
Between the start of the 2022-23 Fire Permit Period and April 4, the Tasmania Fire Service issued 968 fire permits and responded to more than 709 vegetation fires across the State.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government has invested more than $112.3 million into the Fuel Reduction Program since 2014.
