Aerial Application of Herbicides for Fire Breaks

Summary

Fire is a prevalent part of living in the Northern Territory. Over the last 10 years an average of 241,000 km2 of the NT was burnt each year - the vast majority by unplanned fires. For the peak year 2002, over 380,000 km2, or 28.6% of the land area of the NT was burnt. This amount of fire damage occurs annually in the savannah regions of the Top End. In recent years, there has been an increased recognition of the need to plan and manage the landscape to reduce wildfires on a regional scale. For the pastoral landholder wildfires pose a major risk, and fire management can be a useful land management tool. Wildfires can cause infrastructure damage, lead to soil erosion, stress or kill stock and burn out food supplies. Pastoral landholders seek to protect their property from the impacts of wildfires using firebreaks. In many areas of the Roper catchment this is particularly difficult as many of the properties are large, with extensive areas where land vehicle access is very difficult all year round. Other areas have limited access until well into the dry season. By this time soil may be too dry for grading, and vegetation too dry for controlled burns. The purpose of this project was to expand the range of fire management tools for landholders exploring the benefits of establishing firebreaks through aerial herbicide application.