Question On Notice No. 2992 asked in the Legislative Council on 23 April 2015 by Hon Lynn Maclaren
Question Directed to the: Minister for Mental Health representing the Minister for Environment
Parliament: 39 Session: 1
Tabled Paper No: 2912-
View tabled paper
Question
In relation to the proposed prescribed burns in Bold Park and Kings Park, I ask:
(a) will the Minister please table a map showing the fire history (most recent and previous burns) of the areas to be burnt;
(b) are any of the areas to be burnt infested with phytophthora dieback and, if yes, please table a map showing the extent of the infestation;
(c) if yes to (b), given the research shows that fire increases the severity and extent of phytophthora dieback, what precautions are being taken to prevent an increase in the severity and extent of the pathogen in Bold Park and Kings Park as a result of the prescribed burns;
(d) are there any trees with hollows in the areas to be burnt;
(e) if yes to (d), what precautions are being taken to prevent these trees from catching fire, burning and falling down as can happen as a result of a prescribed burn;
(f) has a comprehensive fauna survey been conducted in the areas to be burnt:
(i) if no to (f), why not; and
(ii) if yes to (f), please table the lists of birds, mammals and reptiles;
(g) given that the Department of Parks and Wildlife has no methodology for knowing the number of fauna killed by prescribed burns, how will the impact of these prescribed burns on fauna be assessed;
(h) what are the obligate seeders in the areas to be burnt;
(i) what is the time to first flowering after fire of the species listed in answer to (h); and
(j) why is this experiment being carried out in two small iconic conservation reserves and not in the State forest or other larger, less significant areas?
Answered on 20 May 2015
The Minister for Environment has provided the following response.
(a) Accurate fire records for Bold Park only extend back to 1998 when the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority (BGPA) assumed management control of Bold Park. No fire has occurred at the experimental site in Bold Park since 1998. A Kings Park map of the burn site is provided [See Tabled Paper No.].
(b) No
(c) Not applicable
(d) Yes
(e) Fuel reduction at the base of significant trees was done by raking away litter to reduce the likelihood of bark ignition.
(f) No, but sites have been inspected for significant species and none recorded.
(i) Various surveys within the parks have taken place previously. Sites were inspected for significant species pre-burn.
(ii) Not applicable
(g) Previous post-fire monitoring of reptile populations in Kings Park indicates species richness and abundance returns within three to five years after fire. Reptile populations will not be directly assessed as part of this study; however habitat attributes for all faunal groups will be monitored.
(h)-(i) [See Tabled Paper No.].
(j) The aim of the research is to understand the effects of management techniques - including fire exclusion, fire at short and medium return intervals, and with and without weed management - on the persistence of native plant species, weed cover and fire hazard in urban Banksia woodlands. The experimental aim requires the burns to be done on lands that have all these key components, which limits the sites that can be used. The BGPA manages important urban bushland reserves and needs to understand the conservation and fire risk outcomes of management activities on these lands for their long term protection. With a single medium term rotation being 10-15 years, the study program is also long term. BGPA only has the jurisdiction to implement experiments on land it manages, and can only guarantee long-term support and the associated research outcomes for these sites.