Hazard reduction

Residents and private landowners are responsible for clearing leaves and debris on their property.

Government agencies including Council, NSW NPWS, NSW Fire & Rescue, and NSW RFS work together to manage hazard reduction burns and undertake mechanical clearing on public land.

Hazard reduction should be done before, or early in the bushfire season.

Hazard reduction burns can only take place in specific weather conditions and cannot be scheduled far in advance. Days with suitable conditions are becoming less common as Australia’s climate becomes hotter and drier.

The frequency of hazard reduction burns in an area is based on research and assessments, and varies depending on vegetation type and local conditions. Some types of bushland in Ku-ring-gai can only be burned every 12 years.

Hazard reduction burns help reduce available fuel and fire intensity, but they do not eliminate the risk of bushfires. Bushfires can still occur, so having a bushfire plan and preparing your home is essential.

The easiest way to start preparing your home is to remove flammable items within 1.5 metres of your home. You can also find out how to protect your home from bushfires and ember attack.

Hazard reduction burns help reduce bushfire risk, but they do have downsides. They require significant resources, planning, and trained personnel, and there is a risk that a burn could escape control.

Both bushfires and hazard reduction burns produce smoke, which can affect people’s health. The public health and economic costs of smoke from hazard reduction burns can be higher than the costs of smoke from bushfires, especially in densely populated areas like Sydney. 

An Asset Protection Zone (APZ) is an area around buildings where vegetation is managed by the landholder to help reduce bushfire risk. It provides a buffer between bushland and buildings to help slow the spread of fire and provides access for firefighters.

There can still be trees, shrubs and grasses in an APZ. Healthy trees and landscaping can be retained if they meet required separation and maintenance standards. Most vegetation in an APZ will be managed by mechanical and manual clearing.

Smoke contains fine particles that can irritate your eyes, nose, throat and lungs. It doesn't matter whether the fire is a hazard reduction burn or bushfire, you can still be affected by the smoke produced. And the fire doesn't need to be close - we can smell smoke in Gordon from hazard reduction burns near Penrith!

Stay indoors if you are at higher risk from bushfire smoke. Follow your asthma plan and seek medical advice if necessary.

Sealing gaps around windows and doors is the most effective way to stop smoke from entering your home. As an added bonus, sealing gaps helps improve energy efficiency by reducing heated or cooled air from escaping your home.

Manual clearing is one of the most effective ways you can protect your property from bushfires. Hazard reduction burns and mechanical clearing reduce fuel across larger areas, but they do not remove the leaf litter, twigs and small branches close to your home. These small fuels can be ignited by embers, starting spot fires that spread directly to your house. Embers are the cause of more than 80% of house losses in bushfires in Australia.

By raking, pruning, and removing combustible materials within at least 1.5 metres around your home, you can create a defendable space that reduces your home’s risk of ember attack and gives firefighters a better chance of protecting your property.