NEWS RELEASE Prescribed burn at Scott Creek Conservation Park A prescribed burn is planned at Scott Creek Conservation Park at Dorset Vale in the Mt Lofty Ranges for Friday, 4 April 2014, weather conditions permitting. • • • • • • The prescribed burn will start at 10am and should be complete by 8pm on Monday, 7 April. It will affect about 20.7ha in the northern section of the reserve, near Bandicoot Track. A significant smoke column will be produced during the burn. This is normal for burns of this size. Smoke may also lie in depressions in the Scott Creek and Mt Bold areas. There will be no road closures, but there will be restrict access to Bandicoot Track, Currawong Ridge Track and Neville Rd. Matthews Rd, Scott Creek Rd and Mt Bold Rd may be impacted by smoke. Exclusion zones will be set up to keep the fire from reaching sensitive Oyster Bay pine populations in the park. The burn will be carried out by the Mt Lofty Ranges Fire Collective. The primary objective of this burn is to reduce the high fuel load in the area to prevent the spread of bushfire. It is part of a state-wide program of prescribed burning in high-risk public land areas this autumn. Creating strategically-located, fuel-reduced areas through prescribed burning is essential in helping to reduce the potential spread and impact of bushfires on communities and the environment by providing earlier containment options for firefighters. A list of the week’s planned burns is available on the DEWNR website, at www.environment.sa.gov.au/firemanagement/Burns_and_bushfires. Prescribed burns will only be carried out when it is deemed safe to do so and may be cancelled at short notice. Fire crews will remain on site until safe to leave. 4/04/14 MEDIA CONTACT Georgia Gowing Senior Media Adviser Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Phone (08) 8204 9105 Mobile 0467 795 640 Email [email protected] www.environment.sa.gov.au www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au