Recovering from a bushfire takes planning and ongoing care. After the fire is out, land managers face urgent tasks such as restoring water supplies, protecting livestock, and supporting the natural environment to recover.
Start by checking tanks, troughs, pumps and poly pipes for heat damage. Inspect foot valves for ash and silt, and keep monitoring them over the coming months. Assess dam and groundwater levels, as firefighting or the fire itself may have reduced supply.
Watch for signs of contamination from ash or soil washing into dams, creeks and rivers. This can cause:
algae blooms
reduced water quality
difficulties for livestock accessing clean water
low oxygen levels in water, which can harm aquatic life.
To maintain water quality:
keep water cool and clean
add shade to small troughs or provide an alternative source
clean troughs regularly to remove dust films
use sediment traps, such as pegged-down hay bales, chicken wire or coir logs, to stop ash and soil entering waterways.
In the long term, revegetating along waterways will help stabilise temperatures and reduce sediment runoff.
Livestock need a constant supply of clean, cool water to stay healthy and productive. Water intake changes with factors such as temperature, feed type, stage of pregnancy or lactation, and animal size. During hot weather or fire conditions animals can drink up to twice their normal amount.
Livestock feeding needs vary depending on feed quality, animal type and size, their condition, pregnancy or lactation stage, the facilities available, past feeding history and the impact of the fire.
Use high-quality hay with a sweet smell and green colour, and test quality where possible.
When feeding grain and hay, you should:
introduce hay before grain to reduce acidosis risk
add 1.5% limestone and 0.5% salt when feeding grain
ensure lactating cows and ewes have at least 20% hay in their diet
provide young cattle with a minimum of 9% protein for growth
give extra protein to sheep and lambs in late pregnancy or lactation if required.
Agistment can help if you have limited feed or water. Fire-affected livestock need closer monitoring than unaffected animals and may require veterinary care.
Before sending stock on agistment:
check for diseases such as Ovine Johne's Disease (OJD), Bovine Johne's Disease (BJD), footrot and drench resistance
avoid introducing pregnant animals if risks are high
ask a vet if 5-in-1 vaccination is recommended when changing feed
learn about local grasses, such as Coolatai grass, African love grass and Blady grass, which have low nutritional value and may require supplementary feeding.
When arranging agistment, agree with the landholder on:
responsibilities for stock care
water supply
feed provision.
Use a quarantine paddock when bringing stock home to manage weeds, pests and diseases.
Remove burnt material only if it poses a safety risk. Leave fallen timber in remnant areas to provide shelter for wildlife and protect soil. Burnt ash beds can reduce erosion and support plant regrowth.
Where needed, provide artificial shelters such as:
nest boxes for birds and mammals
tin sheets or tiles for reptiles
chicken wire and shade-cloth shelters to protect ground-dwelling animals from predators.
Native vegetation recovery
Where possible, allow native vegetation to regenerate naturally. Control weeds carefully to avoid harming native plants. Assess regrowth in spring or summer, and replant with native species if necessary. Young revegetation projects may need replanting if immature plants have burnt.
Contact Local Land Services NSW
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