A day in the field at North Head
Fire, Fauna, Weeds & Ferals
Linked with the 2017 Bushfire Conference the Nature Conservation Council hosted a field day at North Head, Manly, on the 1st of June. The 70 participants joined a range of local experts to inspect burn sites and other project sites to discuss the restoration and regeneration works in progress. Delegates heard from local experts about how fire influences the management of threatened species including the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub EEC, Acacia terminalis subsp. terminalis, Long-nosed Bandicoot and Little Penguin. Discussion topics included:
- Applying fire in coastal heath
- The importance of understanding your patch of land and its location specific values
- Fire and flora considerations: restoration principles, pre- and post-fire site management, burn intensities and weed management
- Fire and fauna considerations: need for monitoring, burn planning, understanding of interactions with feral species
- Consideration of interventions: fencing, selective thinning
- Logistics of undertaking planned burns on North Head
Most valuable for me were the discussions with other participants about their work and experiences. Also seeing the improvements in biodiversity in the regenerating ecological community post-burn.
– Feedback from a field day participant
The field day provided an opportunity to learn about the logistics of implementing a burn, viewing different techniques and hearing from individuals who have first-hand experience. Participants valued seeing the collaboration between multiple organisations within a small area and the results of the various restoration trials.
The following field day materials are available for download
- North Head Site Story, pre- and post-burn images
- Prescribed Burning Posters from Fire & Rescue NSW – Planning, Management, Operations
