The
Environment Protection Policy (Air Quality) 2004 contains provisions on smoke from planned burning. The provisions are not directly enforceable but are to be implemented by the relevant government agencies and by councils when establishing permit conditions, developing policies and undertaking regulatory activities.
Tasmania's Coordinated Smoke Management Strategy (CSMS) is a management tool, coordinated by the Forest Practices Authority (FPA), to reduce smoke pollution levels near populated areas resulting from planned burns. It has been developed in consultation with the EPA, the forest industry, the Department of Health, Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) and Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS).
Each year the CSMS is monitored and outcomes reviewed in order to improve its operation for the subsequent burn seasons.
Further information about the CSMS can be found on the
Forest Practices Authority website.
The air quality data which support the CSMS are obtained from the EPA's statewide air monitoring network. Air quality data from the stations are available in near real time.
Tasmania Fire Service provides details of where planned burning will occur in the state during permit season. On the
What's Burning Now? - Planned Burns Map view the approximate locations of burns planned by Sustainable Timbers Tasmania and members of the Forest Industries Association Tasmania.
Refer to the TasALERT for information on current fires in Tasmania.
Complaints about smoke from planned burns
If you wish to lodge a complaint about smoke impact from planned burns, call 1800 005 171 or lodge a complaint to
incidentresponse@epa.tas.gov.au. See our Make a Report page.
Impacts from smoke from planned burns are important to capture as part of the strategy to improve smoke management.
The EPA compiles reports about
Follow the links below to view the Summary Complaint Reports produced for previous planned burning periods.
Please contact the Air Specialist (details below) for reports relating to earlier burning periods.
Small-scale 'waste-removal' burning
Many burns on private land (typically on acreage-sized blocks) involve the burning of cut and stacked vegetation that would otherwise need processing (e.g. mulching) or removal from the property. These waste-removal burns have the potential to generate significant local smoke if not conducted correctly.
The EPA has documented a case study of smoke-minimisation in a waste–removal burn typical of those conducted on 'acreage' properties, and consisting of cut and stacked garden waste. At the end of the report is a four-page summary of the main points to take into account.
A case study of smoke-minimisation in a waste–removal burn, June 2014 (5Mb)
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