APZ (ASSET PROTECTION ZONE) PLANS

In land designated “bushfire risk” by council, a bushfire risk assessment is required. Apart from simple, lower risk cases, we don’t do this. The resulting assessment will demand an APZ where landscaping is established and managed to  RFS (Rural Fire Service) requirements. The area must be established before occupancy certificate is granted.

We identify vegetation and draw a plan showing what to retain and what to remove in order to conform to guidelines. There’s often a tricky balance between RFS guidelines for removing vegetation, and other environmental guidelines to preserve vegetation for habitat, erosion control,  etc.

In the example below on moderate slopes, council recognised the conflict between vegetation removal for bushfire defence, and the erosion risk due to vegetation removal. They asked for a plan that showed how the exercise could be done while minimising erosion.