A multi-faceted approach was utilised in the evaluation of the 33 spring burns conducted in the Murray Goldfields fire district . Field assessments were used in conjunction with desktop evaluations of RapidEye satellite imagery and colour infrared (CIR) aerial imagery in the GIS software program ESRI ArcGis 10.2. Different measures of planned burn coverage, burn severity and residual overall fuel hazard were assessed. Seven burns were field assessed through the use of transects over the planned burn area, recording residual overall fuel hazard as well as burn severity classification at sample points. CIR aerial photography was acquired for 10 burns giving an accurate indication of burn extent. RapidEye satellite imagery was acquired for 23 burns which was utilised in the newly developed Rapid Risk Assessment Teams Burn Severity ArcMap Tool, assessing the burn severity and extent.

RapidEye imagery was an efficient evaluation of burn extent and severity. However, the spatial resolution (5 metres) of the imagery meant that for burns smaller than 30 hectares in size, assessment became difficult. The aerial photography at a high spatial resolution (15 centimetres) supported accurate assessment of burn extent, but not burn severity.

The results show that around 80% of the planned burns achieved their operational fuel reduction objectives, with two of the burns ‘overachieving’ and four ‘underachieving’. The resulting mapping layers developed will enable detailed fire-history mapping which will assist with planning bushfire suppression and bushfire management planning. It will also allow for more precise fuel accumulation data which will increase the accuracy for bushfire prediction models such as Phoenix Rapidfire. Mapping low-moderate burn severity and unburnt areas will enhance the accuracy of tolerable fire-interval maps. This will, therefore, allow for more accurate species distribution analysis and assist in analysing ecosystem resilience.