Yiraaldiya National Park, Sydney planned cultural burn
National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in conjunction with Greater Sydney Landcare, Firestick Alliance, Dharug and connected Aboriginal communities will be conducting a 2-day cultural burn in Yiraaldiya National Park starting 1 August, weather permitting.
The 2-hectare cultural burn will be bounded by Stoney Creek Road and Captain Cook Drive in Shanes Park.
This is the first burn in a 5-year plan that will see cultural burns and associated practices completed through the 41-hectare area. Less than 2 hectares will be treated at any one time.
Residents in the Blacktown area may see or smell smoke coming from the park.
The Dharug people and connected Aboriginal communities are committed to caring for Country and ensuring its long-term health. Cultural burning, also known as cool burning, has been used by Aboriginal Australians for millennia. It involves controlled, low-intensity fires that benefit the land in several ways:
- reduces fire risk by removing built-up fuel loads
- stimulates seed germination and encourages new growth of native plants
- manages habitats for native animals.
Cultural burning and traditional Aboriginal land management practices connect the Dharug people to their Country and honour their ancestral practices.
All burns around the state are coordinated with the NSW Rural Fire Service to ensure the impact on the community is properly assessed.
People with known health conditions can sign up to receive air-quality reports, forecasts and alerts via email or SMS from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. For health information relating to smoke from bushfires and hazard reduction burns, visit NSW Health or Asthma Australia.
More information on hazard reduction activities is available at NSW Rural Fire Service and the NSW Government's Hazards Near Me website and app.
