Scan and burn in the ACT

Over the last few months the Mapping bushfire hazard and impacts team has been undertaking a number of activities with our end users.

In February, we held a one day workshop on environmental sensing activities in the ACT, exchanging information on relevant recent, current and near-future research and development activities in the ACT. The day helped to determine our research priorities in terms of data collection and (web) sharing, as well as discussing where coordination or expansion will be beneficial.

Alongside end user Adam Leavesley from the ACT Parks and Conservation Service, in March PhD student Yang Chen and myself scanned with the Zebedee (a terrestrial laser scanner) 15 plots where prescribe burns are going to be implemented this autumn. A visual assessment of the fuel hazard was performed at the same time, following the Victorian guide. One burn took place while we were there, which allowed us to observe fire behaviour in 3 out of 15 plots we had scanned. After all the plots have been burnt, we will re-visit the plots to conduct post-burn scans and visual hazard assessment.