Wednesday, 15 January 2025 12:55

New insights into rural fire risk

Written by  Staff Reporters
Canterbury has a significant number of hedgerows and shelterbelts near rural infrastructure but, despite this, there is limited research on their role in fire risk. Canterbury has a significant number of hedgerows and shelterbelts near rural infrastructure but, despite this, there is limited research on their role in fire risk.

New student research from the University of Canterbury in partnership with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) could improve knowledge surrounding the risk of wildfire.

University of Canterbury (UC) students George Hamilton and Renee Martin were part of a team that examined the effects of factors such as fuel load, vegetation type, and proximity, on fire risk.

The research focused on identifying and mapping hedgerows and shelterbelts in rural Canterbury, analysing their characteristics, and understanding how these features influence fire behaviour.

Hamilton says the research is personal to him.

“My childhood neighbour’s house burnt down due to a hedgerow fire that spread for two kilometres,” he says. “That experience stayed with me and motivated my interest in this topic.”

Supervised by Associate Professor Marwan Katurji from UC’s School of Earth and Environment, the students began by mapping West Melton hedgerows and shelterbelts to understand their geospatial relationship with infrastructure.

Katurji says the project is contributing to understanding of the risk of wildfire in household environments, using fuel distribution and potential fire behaviour to inform safe living.

“The pilot research aligns well with Fire and Emergency's ongoing national wildfire threat analysis programme. Identifying new fuel types in our rural-urban landscape will help in fire behaviour prediction and firefighting resource allocation.”

Meanwhile, Hamilton says Canterbury has a significant number of hedgerows and shelterbelts near rural infrastructure but, despite this, there is limited research on their role in fire risk.

Part of the research project was to create mitigation strategies based on their findings, Martin explains. 

“We discovered that native plantings, creating breaks in shelterbelts and planting hedgerows and shelterbelts further from buildings are key to reducing fire risk,” she says.  

In addition to this the team created a risk index to help identify high-risk areas.

“By understanding the patterns and characteristics of hedgerows, communities can reduce fire impact before it starts and respond quicker when fires start,” Hamilton concludes.

More like this

Hunt for invasive pests goes digital

An innovative mobile app that uses artificial intelligence to identify harmful weeds, pest animals and diseases is enabling more Kiwis to join the fight against invasive pests this summer.

Seed banking alone not enough

New research led by a University of Canterbury academic has identified that conventional seed banking alone isn’t enough to conserve all of New Zealand’s endemic plants.

Reducing wildfire risk

Fire and Emergency New Zealand is reminding winegrowers to be prepared for the potential risks associated with a return to "normal" fire season.

Featured

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter