Planned burn protects pocket of nature and locals on the Gold Coast
Issued: 12 Sep

Find out how our planned burn at Pine Ridge Conservation Park reduced the risk of significant bushfire impact to wildlife, vegetation and the surrounding urban community.

Photo credit: © Queensland Government

Issued
12 September 2024
Region

In the suburbs of the Gold Coast is a tiny conservation park, a sanctuary for coastal heath with banksias-a-plenty, wildflowers and even echidnas.

Pine Ridge Conservation Park and its neighbours are just one of many protected areas that have benefited from fire management in the form of a planned burn this year (2024).

Conducted at night to reduce impacts on busy surrounding suburban residents and nearby schools, this burn aimed to reduce the severity and risk of bushfire incidents.

Prior to the burn, the planned burn area was prepped by teams of Rangers—rake hoeing around vulnerable habitat trees with hollows as well as around assets such as signs. Neighbour and stakeholder notifications were provided, a Park Alert published, a test burn conducted and park closures and signs put in place.

Two Rangers in green fire uniforms and white helmets use a fire hose from their vehicle to put out a test burn.
Two Rangers in green fire uniforms with white helmets check the conditions after a test burn.
A snippet of a Smoke advice notification for the planned burn at Pine Ridge Conservation Park.
Two Rangers in green fire uniforms and white helmets use a fire hose from their vehicle to put out a test burn. A test burn is conducted prior to the burn. Photo credit: © Queensland Government Two Rangers in green fire uniforms with white helmets check the conditions after a test burn. A test burn provides valuable data, assisting with weather, moisture, humidity and wind speed conditions best suited for the planned burn. Photo credit: © Queensland Government A snippet of a Smoke advice notification for the planned burn at Pine Ridge Conservation Park. A smoke advice Park Alert that was sent out prior to this planned burn. Photo credit: © Queensland Government

Senior Ranger Jess said ‘it’s a unique pocket of 112 hectares right in the middle of suburbia, completely surrounded by high density housing, making a hazard reduction burn imperative for the park’s neighbours.’

‘It’s one of the last little remnants of coastal heath that we’ve got on the Gold Coast and it also protects lots of wildlife—echidnas, koalas and things you wouldn’t otherwise find in suburbia anymore’, she said.

By burning in a controlled way, at the right time, wildlife and plant species in this park are better protected by burning with high soil moisture levels to ensure good ecological outcomes.

Working as a sector leader for the burn, Ranger Amy said they weren’t aiming for a full scorch of this planned burn area.

‘Typically, we don’t aim for a full scorch, we like to just burn the top layer of fuel to reduce the fuel load and leave the nutrients in the soil beneath, which encourages the recruitment of the next generation of species,’ she said.

The team of Rangers working together on this burn had the community at the forefront when planning, opting for a nighttime burn and using the cooler weather for minimal smoke impacts, interruptions and inconvenience to neighbouring schools and traffic.

Close up of Rangers face holding a mobile phone with fire burning in the background.
A Ranger in the background lights a fire while the Ranger in the foreground watches on.
Ranger in foreground with a hand-held radio and a group of Rangers in the background.
Close up of Rangers face holding a mobile phone with fire burning in the background. Ranger Jess records data as the burn progresses. Photo credit: © Queensland Government A Ranger in the background lights a fire while the Ranger in the foreground watches on. Crews safely ignite the planned burn according to the Incident Action Plan and briefing by the incident controller. Photo credit: © Queensland Government Ranger in foreground with a hand-held radio and a group of Rangers in the background. Rangers work together and report back to the Incident Control point throughout the burn. Photo credit: © Queensland Government

‘Despite burning quite late in the evening, we still saw quite active fire behaviour,’ Ranger Jess said.

‘Keeping the burn at nighttime helps us control it more and prevent embers travelling to neighbouring properties.’

A smaller-sized burn, with some very considered logistics and precautions taken saw the hazard reduction burn finished within the evening and crews conducting mop up activities to ensure there was no risk of reignition.

In the days and weeks following, post-burn checks saw banksia seeds pop open, grass tree revegetation and clear protection rings around vulnerable and habitat trees, as well as wildflowers beginning to bloom in the surrounding area.

With this conservation park’s fuel load significantly reduced, the risk of significant bushfire impact to the wildlife, vegetation and surrounding urban community is greatly reduced as well.

Three images, first image shows unburnt tree with burn grass around it; second image shows two burnt grass trees sprouting new growth; third image shows opened banksia seed pods.

Protection techniques around habitat trees prevent them from catching fire during the planned burn. Fire adapted grass trees resprouting post-burn. Banskia seed pods opened after the fire, releasing seeds into the post-fire environment.

Photo credit: © Queensland Government

To learn more and to see behind the scenes of this burn, watch How we burn to conserve.

Dirt road through the middle of the image with burned area on the left and unburned area on the right.

The stark contrast between the planned burn area in the protection zone, post-burn and the remainder of the park.

Photo credit: © Queensland Government

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  • Pine Ridge Conservation Park

    Pine Ridge Conservation Park protects one of the last wallum remnant habitats on the Gold Coast, featuring banksia woodland, heath and paperbark swamp.

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