Bushfire preparedness and preventative irrigation
By Laura Thomas
A historic heatwave has seen Australian records topple this week, with sizzling temperatures of up to 50C causing concern for farmers and rural communities.
And as the mercury continues to climb, so does the threat – and incidence – of bushfire.
So what can olive growers do to help protect their groves if they find it in the path of a bushfire?
Preventative grove irrigation – when used as part of a broader bushfire preparedness strategy – can be an effective way to help reduce fire damage and improve tree health and survival.
This strategy relies on heavy watering in the lead-up to a predicted fire event, applying as much water to the grove as possible to saturate trees and soil, and reduce the fire’s impact.
But you must have an emergency water supply on-hand, keep an eye on forecast conditions and be prepared to act early.
As reported in Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor magazine in March 2020, preventative irrigation helped reduce the impact of bushfire at Jared Bettio’s grove in the Adelaide Hills during the Cudlee Creek bushfire in 2019.
Heavy watering and solid preparation meant the fire’s impact was reduced and his olive trees were left standing when surrounding vegetation was burnt to the ground.
Of course, on-farm bushfire preparedness activities begin long before the annual fire danger season arrives.
Fire preparedness is an important part of overall business management planning and includes identifying risks and preparing well ahead of hot, dry weather conditions.
Take a look back at our top tips for fire preparedness and make sure your grove is ready this bushfire season.
Need support?
Grants, loans, livestock support, fencing, water and counselling information for farmers and primary producers affected by the January 2026 Victorian bushfires. Click here for more information.
The National Centre for Farmer Health’s Farmer Wellbeing Toolkit provides all sorts of handy information and links to help support farmers during times of hardship and beyond.
In case you missed them, check out these links to some helpful bushfire recovery articles and resources below.
Bushfire and recovery has been extensively covered in OG&P magazine over the years and it’s all available to view on the AOA website.
Olives and bushfire: User-friendly information, including practical peer experience, providing a heads-up on what to do and how to do it should you experience a bushfire in your grove.
Recovery of olive groves after fire: Practical management information on post-fire care of olive groves.
Recovery of Australia’s soils following bushfire: A CSIRO report on the impact of fire on soils and options for recovery and mitigation.
Other helpful resourcesness, response and recovery was published as part of the Hort Frontiers AS19002 project Developing management strategies to enhance the recovery of horticulture from bushfires.
Information is also available via the Agriculture Victoria website, Recovery from fire damage in olive groves.
Sources:
www.abc.net.au
www.australianolives.com.au
Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor