SWAN volunteer bushfire brigades last week conducted the largest hazard reduction burn ever undertaken by the City of Swan’s bushfire services.

The strategic tenure blind burn in the Avon Valley, encompassed approximately 350 hectares across multiple land tenures, including Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary, private landholdings, and City of Swan land.

A tenure blind burn is where a burn is planned and carried out based on landscape risk and fuel loads, rather than the ownership (tenure) of the land.

It treats public land - for example, national parks - as private property and council land as a single, cohesive area to maximise bushfire protection for communities and infrastructure.

The concept was a key recommendation of the 2011 Perth Hills Bushfires Inquiry.

City of Swan Mayor Tanya Richardson said the burn was of high strategic value, not just to the city but also to the state.

“Conducting the hazard reduction burn across multiple tenure as a single, cohesive area maximises the strategic protection for communities, environment and infrastructure,” she said.

“The east-west rail corridor traverses through the Avon Valley. It is the sole rail line connecting Western Australia with the eastern states and significant amounts of food and materials are transported through the corridor into WA each day.

“Extended disruption to the east-west rail corridor could quickly cause statewide and national logistical challenges.

“The burn will also protect pristine Avon Valley ecosystems by reducing the risk for large devastating landscape fires.

“Taking risk-reduction action now to protect these vital assets is a priority for the City of Swan.”