Aerial view of a prescribed burn undertaken in the Donnelly District in autumn 2026. Photo - DBCA.
The Parks and Wildlife Service hosted community meetings in Manjimup and Walpole last week to discuss fire management ahead of the upcoming bushfire season.
The sessions gave local residents a chance to understand how bushfire risk is managed across the region, how prescribed burning is planned, and how community input is considered in future fire management planning.
This was the third year the community had been invited to attend the pre-season sessions, with more than 50 people attending across the two days.
Department staff gave presentations outlining the department’s approach to managing for multiple values at a landscape level, its bushfire detection and response capabilities, and current fire science and monitoring projects that support adaptive fire management.
The sessions also included an overview of bushfire suppression during the 2025-26 season and the draft 2026-27 Burn Options Program.
Parks and Wildlife Service Warren Regional Manager Tim Foley said the meetings gave residents a valuable opportunity to hear directly from staff, ask questions, and better understand the planning behind prescribed burns.
“Bushfire preparedness through fuel reduction is a shared responsibility for Government agencies, local governments and private landowners, and prescribed burning remains the State’s most important strategy to reduce fuel loads and protect lives, property and the environment from bushfires,” Mr Foley said.
“We recognise that there are a broad range of views on bushfire management and these sessions provide an important opportunity for constructive discussion around the department’s management approach.”
Planning a prescribed burn can take months and involves consultation with a wide range of stakeholders who have a specific interest or expertise in the proposed burn area. The final decision to proceed with a prescribed burn is made on the day of ignition using the latest weather forecasts and operational information.
During the 2025–26 financial year, the Parks and Wildlife Service completed 25 prescribed burns across the Warren Region, treating more than 30,000 hectares.
The department’s annual and three-year burn options programs will be published on DBCA’s website once finalised.
