NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will conduct a hazard reduction burn Friday, 20 August in Kirramingly Nature Reserve, south-west of Moree, weather permitting.
This burn is planned to cover about 400 hectares in the north west corner of the 1306-hectare reserve.
Some smoke is likely to be seen to the west from the Newell Highway near Gurley in coming days.
The burn will reduce available fuel lowering the risks posed by wildfire, and helping to maintain a healthy landscape with suitable habitat for a range of native plants and wildlife.
All tracks and trails in the area will be closed for public safety. Tracks will be reopened once they have been assessed as safe, subject to current Covid restrictions.
The NPWS conducts controlled burns for a range of purposes, including asset protection, strategic fire control, maintenance of biodiversity and research.
This burn is one of many hazard reduction operations undertaken by NPWS across New South Wales each year, many with assistance from the Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW.
These hazard reduction burns are essential to reduce bushfire fuel loads to help protect the parks, neighbours and communities from summer bushfires.
Hazard reductions are an essential activity under the current Public Health Orders and will be conducted in a COVID-19 safe manner to ensure the safety of fire crews and the community.
COVID-19 safety briefings are provided to all staff who are required to wear masks along with their normal fire personal protective equipment. Contact tracing is also enabled via the QR code sign-in all fire crews must complete when starting.