2026 Planned Burn Season

2 hours ago
2 min read

Planned burns will take place in the Bribie Island National Park between March and August.

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) began letterbox notifications in parts of Bribie Island last week, ahead of planned burns scheduled for sections of the National Park between March and August 2026. The fires are a major coordinated effort between government agencies, and will be undertaken when weather conditions are most suitable.

This kind of early notice is an important part of being a good neighbour—giving residents time to understand what’s happening, prepare for smoke and avoid unnecessary concern. BIEPA is supporting this effort by helping share this information with the broader community, so everyone knows what to expect, and why these burns matter.

The National Park blocks planned for burning this season are marked in orange on this map, When weather conditions are ideal, residents around White Patch, Banksia Beach and Pacific Harbour will be impacted.

Why burns are happening

Planned burns are a critical part of managing Bribie Island’s natural systems.

They help to:

reduce fuel loads and lower wildfire risk
recycle nutrients back into the soil
stimulate germination of native plants
maintain habitat diversity for wildlife

Importantly, burns are conducted in small, controlled sections, creating a mosaic of burnt and unburnt areas. This approach supports biodiversity while improving fire management outcomes.

The last significant planned burns in the Bribie Island National Park were in 2023.

What residents should expect:

Smoke impacts: People with respiratory conditions should take precautions (close windows, keep medications handy, seek medical advice if needed).
Road conditions: Smoke may reduce visibility — drive to conditions.
Park access: Some areas may be temporarily closed — please follow all signage and ranger directions. The Bribie Island National Park page has up-to-date Park Alerts.

Last week's prescribed burn by pine forest owners HQ Plantations caught most of the community (and the plantation's neighbours) off-guard. Notifying the community ahead of events like this is an important part of responsible planned burn practices, especially given Bribie's fire-prone vegetation, and its history of significant wildfires crossing between plantations and the National Park. While the smoke from that fire did not impact Bribie Island residents directly, the lack of notification created unnecessary concern amongst the community. You might see more fires in the HQ Plantations during the Autumn/Winter burn window, and BIEPA will be sure to do our part in spreading the word in our community if we are notified about them.

Want to understand more? We covered this issue in detail during the last burn cycle, including ecological benefits, risks, and what it means locally: Read our full 2023 Planned Burns article here: https://www.biepa.online/post/planned-burns-imminent

2 Comments

Unknown member

an hour ago

The Royal Commission into the 2019-2020 Black Summer fires in Australia strongly recommended the adoption of burn practices used by First Nations people. They rarely used burns past the end of May. By that time the fire load becomes much drier, fires become more intense, and the possibility of damage to established vegetation becomes much greater. It is pleasing to see that QPWS has given advance notice of planned burns, but it is disappointing to read that those burns are well outside the window recommended by the Royal Commission.

Replying to

We understand the desire is the burn as early as possible, based on prevailing weather and other factors.