A hazard reduction burn has taken place in Pine Brush State Forest, north-east of Grafton, as the Forestry Corporation of NSW reduces forest fuel loads ahead of the bushfire season.

Forestry Corporation staged the hazard reduction burn last week across 3000-hectares in the Pine Brush State Forest.

Protection Manager, Karel Zejbrilk said hazard reduction burns are an important part of Forestry Corporation’s fire season preparations each year.

“The planning for this hazard reduction burn had been underway for approximately a year now with the aim to reduce fuel levels in the Pine Brush State Forest to protect life and property during the bushfire season,” Mr Zejbrilk said.

“The Pine Brush State Forest didn’t burn during the bushfires of 2019, so hazard reduction in this state forest is an important focus of Forestry Corporation’s annual winter burning program this year.

“Conditions were perfect for this planned burn given there were light winds, cooler temperatures and relative high humidity.

“We conducted a cool burn that did not remove all of the forest fuel and therefore provided refuge for wildlife in the forest,” he said.

Forestry Corporation was assisted in the operation by the Rural Fire Service (RFS) and ACT Parks and Conservation crews.

Fire and Rescue NSW also operated a drone that monitored the spread of the hazard reduction burn from the air.

The operation involved 85 firefighters in total.

For more information contact the Forestry Corporation Grafton on (02) 6640 1658.

Further information is available on the RFS website www.rfs.nsw.gov.au and the RFS’s Hazards Near Me NSW app as planned events.