DEECA is seeking a solution in the development of a state-wide, automated analysis and reporting tool that will enable DEECA to assess the effectiveness of planned burning activities against their prescribed objectives in a consistent manner.
Understanding how planned burning reduces fuels across individual burn units is a fundamental assumption underpinning our bushfire risk models. By developing a tool to provide consistent analysis for multiple burns across Victoria, DEECA will be able to gain significant insight into the effectiveness of planned burns, testing the assumptions underpinning our bushfire risk models and identifying knowledge gaps in the execution of the fuel management program.
DEECA currently collects fuel hazard and fire severity data across 20% of burns within the Joint Fuel Management Plan (JFMP). The JFMP is developed annually and identifies priority burns to be undertaken each year over three years to meet the risk reduction needs of regions across the state. DEECA is currently unable to utilise fuel hazard and fire severity data effectively within FMS to analyse planned burns. This project will identify the best method to utilise fire severity and fuel hazard data for analysis and use within FMS.
In addition, DEECA is not able to provide standard reporting on the effectiveness of planned burning activities at an operational level. There is no current method to compare burn objectives with burn outcomes (area burnt, burn coverage, and burn severity level achieved), and fuel hazard change across a treatment area. This is a significant gap in the fuel management program. Development of the Planned Burn Outcome Reporting Tool (PBORT) will support learning and development for regional burn operations staff.
This project will create an analysis and reporting tool prototype and develop a module which draws data from multiple DEECA digital fuel management sources, including fire severity, fuel hazard, burn unit area, fuel type and ecological fire group, into a single point to analyse and consistently report burn effectiveness.
The development of the PBORT will enable DEECA to evaluate the success of planned burn activities which will feed into our understanding of the fuel reduction impact of DEECA’s fuel management program, and implications to residual risk calculations.
