Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2007L01320:body:0:p6
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2007L01320
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 13499–16349

Victoria. About half of the stringybark in areas burnt less than 9 years ago is in priority fuel-reduction areas, where the aim is to control the spread of wildfire and there is little opportunity to reduce fire frequency. However, there is an important opportunity to reduce fire intensity in prescribed burns, which will result in reduced canopy scorch and thus much quicker recovery of trees to full seed production. Additionally, prescribed burns should be timed to avoid years in which a given block of woodland has a newly matured seed crop.

Burning of the of stringybark habitat privately owned in Victoria is commonplace and may occur at a much higher frequencies than on public land (R Hill in litt.). In South Australia, reserves managed by Department for Environment and Heritage (1% of total habitat available) tend not to be burnt for management reasons, land managed by Forestry SA (2%) is burnt more frequently (Burnard and Hill 2002). ForestrySA has committed to a prescribed burning plan for all Reserves and a policy to reduce canopy scorch.  The Department for Environment and Heritage are embarking on a prescribed burning program too so fire in South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo habitat will be more frequent in South Australia over the next 10-20 yrs. Stringybark in the lower south-east of South Australia which occurs on private land tends to be long unburnt (Burnard and Hill 2002). The greatest opportunity for substantial gains in food availability by increasing fire intervals appears to be on private land in Victoria.

2.3 Feeding habitat loss (High priority)
About 57% of all suitable habitat has been cleared within the range.  Stringybark habitat is much more fragmented in South Australia than in Victoria (Burnard and Hill 2002). As Desert Stringybark is likely to be a more limiting resource than Brown Stringybark it should be given priority in protection and restoration works.

Paddock trees provide important food and nest sites. Permission to clear blocks of woodland vegetation in South Australia and Victoria is rarely granted, but applications to clear paddock trees continue (Burnard and Hill 2002).  In Victoria, applications to clear paddock trees may be granted where the trees do not qualify as South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo habitat as defined in guidelines prepared in accordance with Victoria's Vegetation Framework, or where agreed offset protection of other Buloke habitat provides a clear and significant net gain in South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo habitat security.  Estimated rates of loss of paddock trees in south-eastern Australia of up to 40% in 30 years indicate that few paddock trees will survive past the next century if current attrition rates continue (Carruthers and Paton in press). In the south-east of South Australia, paddock tree decline over the next