Strategic fuel breaks: uses, features and perceived effectiveness in south-eastern Australia

Abstract

Fuel breaks are strategically placed modified strips of vegetation that are widely used within fire prone forests around the world. They are used for a range of purposes, including active fire suppression, improving access and egress, and in prescribed burning operations. However, the structure of fuel breaks, strategies behind their use and their effectiveness in achieving their objectives has not been extensively documented. In Victoria, Australia, strategic fuel break programs are being developed resulting in an expanded network across the state. Understanding the structure, uses and effectiveness of strategic fuel breaks is critical for good fire management. Specifically, managers need this information to properly evaluate the ground crew safety and risk reduction benefits against the costs of implementation and ecological impacts. In this paper, we aimed to (i) better understand the current uses, features and placement of fuel breaks in Victoria, Australia; and (ii) estimate the effectiveness and strategic value of fuel breaks under a range of conditions. Using structured methods, we elicited expert judgements from Victorian fire managers, who considered a range of different landscape structures, fire scenarios and weather conditions. Results indicate that the use of fuel breaks during fire events generally decreased as fire weather conditions worsened. However, under more extreme conditions, fuel breaks were considered more important for asset protection and safety. Our findings support the idea that fuel breaks are an important tool for fire management, particularly in suppression efforts. Given the dangerous fire conditions accompanying climate change, and the constraints on collecting empirical data, expert knowledge on fire management techniques will become increasingly useful. A sound understanding of why and how managers make decisions under different fire conditions is key to evaluating strategic fuel break effectiveness in the future.