Council carries out critical fire trail maintenance
This summer’s unseasonal wet weather has provided a silver lining for Wingecarribee Shire Council as it completes essential fire trail maintenance in three of Shire’s major bushland reserves.
In total more than 50 kilometres of vegetation adjacent to fire trails in the Mt Alexandra, Gibbergunyah and Mt Gibraltar reserves have been slashed and cleared. These reserves cover the areas of Colo Vale, Willow Vale, Mittagong, Welby and Bowral.
The removal of vegetation and general maintenance of the trails is undertaken annually and allows safer access to some of the Shire’s denser bushland. The maintenance also enables fire services personnel entry into critical areas of the reserves to conduct hazard reduction burns and provide strategic containment lines in the event of large fires.
Maintenance of fire trails is identified in the bush fire management plans for each of the reserves and within the Wingecarribee Bush Fire Risk Management Plan.
Works will now move to a further two trails within the Colo Vale area as identified by the Wingecarribee Bush Fire Management Committee.
The fire trail maintenance is jointly funded by the Rural Fire Service.