With bushfire season looming, managing vegetation in our rail corridor is an important risk mitigation task.
“Over time, vegetation and dead materials build up in the corridor. Using controlled burning to get rid of it is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of bushfires. We’re literally fighting fire with fire – but in this case, it’s the right thing to do,” said ARTC’s Anne McLean, Environment Business Partner.
National Parks SA and SA Country Fire Service volunteers came together earlier this month for the first prescribed burn in South Australia for ARTC as a collaboration with the Northern Area Local Council. The exercise took place in the Mid North of the state to reduce the risk of fire for the township of Gladstone.
Our Port Augusta PC, along with Area Manager Brian Upton, were also on hand to manage safe access to the corridor and ensure that our Safety Expectations were in place.
“Prescribed burns not only mitigate bushfire hazards, they also promote the health of the local ecosystem by removing weed species and promoting native plant growth,” said Anne.
We collaborate with fire and land management agencies across our network to undertake similar activities.
“We plan to keep building these positive relationships with stakeholders so we can continue to support future burns,” said Anne. “This might be the first for SA, but planning is being undertaken for more burns in 2025.”
