Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00195:reg:8:p5
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00195
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 8 (pt 5/16)
Character Range: 140967–144000

m (Parsons & Latch 2006). Mahogany Glider conservation must be central to planning, construction, maintenance and upgrading of transport and easement corridors, and where appropriate, all launch trees should be protected to maintain connectivity.
Priority launch trees are those with lateral branches >20 m above the ground on each side of roads, railways, fencelines and easements including powerlines. Gaps between trees on each side of roads, railways, fencelines and easements should ideally not exceed 30 m. Where it is not possible to avoid clearing a launch tree and mitigation is required, methods such as the installation of glide poles and/or rope bridges must be undertaken in accordance with best practice, to ensure connectivity is maintained. Glide poles should be installed at locations where wide roads (tree to tree gap >30 m) intersect with Mahogany Glider corridors and linkages, and at known road kill sites, to facilitate movement across these gaps in habitat. Maintenance of transport and easement corridors also poses a risk to the condition of adjacent habitat as management actions can introduce and promote weeds of concern to adjacent vegetation and the continued, unplanned expansion of easement widths resulting from overspray during maintenance works can create new dispersal barriers if easements exceed a width of 30 m.

8.3.3             Fire management and appropriate fire regimes
Significant areas of Mahogany Glider habitat are under threat from woody weed thickening, rainforest incursion and sclerophyll thickening due to altered fire regimes. These areas require the implementation of an active and ongoing fire management program that aims to restore the integrity of the sclerophyll forests. There is a requirement for an active planned burn program aimed to address both weed invasion and transitioning within protected areas, based on ecological practices around fire intervals known to regenerate Mahogany Glider habitat and associated species.
Informed on-ground action is required to address rainforest incursion and sclerophyll thickening. Studies need to be undertaken to identify the most appropriate fire regimes to manage Mahogany Glider habitat. Studies need to consider appropriate fire regimes for controlling woody weed invasion, reducing rainforest expansion and sclerophyll thickening, and managing habitat within conservation areas and within areas subject to grazing. The impact of a changing climate and fluctuations within fire seasonal patterns also needs to be investigated and monitored over time, to examine whether habitat is being subjected to more severe or extreme fire severity affecting the condition, resilience and regeneration of Mahogany Glider habitat. This research needs to identify the appropriate timing, frequency and intensity of fires required to address each of these threats, for each of the habitat types identified in Jackson et al., 2011 (see also section 6.2.3; Action 1.2).
Using the best available science and First Nations People knowledge,