A prescribed burn of a section of USC’s compensatory habitat site at Sippy Downs is planned for Thursday 22 August, weather permitting.

Officers from Rural Fire Service Queensland and Queensland Fire and Rescue Service will conduct the burn of 1.5 hectares of heathland on the far eastern side of the University campus, near Claymore Road, between 9am and noon.

Nearby Chancellor Park Estate residents will be notified ahead of the burn.

The action will be supervised by USC as part of its fire management plan for the 15ha habitat, which was successfully relocated to the campus from Bundilla when a housing estate was built years ago.

The aim of this burn is to reduce the fuel load and associated fire hazard risk and maintain the health of the vegetation that contains some rare and endangered plant species.

Having a mosaic pattern of burnt and unburnt areas within the habitat area helps reduce the intensity of any future wildfires and provides favourable conditions for natural heath and forest regeneration.

In the event of inclement weather, the burn is likely to be postponed to the following week.