Update
The Bushfire Preparedness and Resilience Project (BPP) will be now be moving towards significant fuel reduction works on rural roadsides, high bushfire prone areas close to urban areas and select reserves over the next two years. There will be a marked reduction in woody weeds, with the flammable olive tree being a key target species (a declared pest plant).
In the coming months, sites in proximity to stringybark forest are being targeted. Olives and other woody weeds will be controlled and fell/removed or chipped by contractors and in house. The newly procured Green Climber is proving a valuable tool with greater efficiency in the battle to mitigate bushfire risks, and may also be seen in various areas tackling not just fine fuels (grasses etc.) but also mulching up woody weeds.
Community groups and internal teams are also being consulted, with works being planned sensitively to mitigate issues such as endangered animal habitat loss and disruption to registered sites.
On 27 May 2023, the Clarendon Community-led Disaster Recovery Group held its inaugural Olive Harvest event. Around 50 locals, working with the help of Clarendon CFS and Noarlunga SES, collected fruit to produce olive oil. It was a great opportunity for connections between community members and organisations to be made, and there was much discussion on olive control and disaster risks and risk reduction strategies.
Are you bushfire ready?
Fire Danger Season kicked off in December 2022 and Onkaparinga residents are being urged to ensure they’re bushfire ready.
The South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS) has a range of free resources available on its website, making it easy for you to plan and prepare for a bushfire.
Resources include tips on how to do your five-minute bushfire plan, how to prepare your home and property, how to stay informed, and how to prepare emergency kits.
Things you can do now to clear around your property include slashing or mowing long grass and removing cut material (unless it can rot down before summer), removing weeds, cutting back trees overhanging your home, removing fallen branches and other debris, and removing leaves from gutters.
Subscribe to CFS warnings through their website and download the Alert SA App, but don’t rely on a single source—stay informed using multiple sources of emergency warning information.
To see what level of bushfire risk your area is in, use the state government’s map-based online bushfire risk assessment tool. You can find a list Onkaparinga’s Bushfire Safer Places and Bushfire Last Resort areas at the CFS website.
