Validation and implementation of an early warning system to reduce smoke impacts from prescribed burns and bushfires on agricultural industries in Victoria

Summary

Objective

This project will develop a fully integrated and validated network of air quality sensors to provide real-time data on smoke dose and therefore risk of smoke taint in winegrapes. By delivering accurate prediction of smoke doses that cause smoke taint, the project will support the emergency sector to plan and conduct planned burns more effectively and with less risk to agricultural industries, particularly the wine sector.

Background

Smoke taint from bushfires and planned burns causes the biggest loss to production for the Victorian and Australian wine sector and can cause complete loss of a vintage due to off flavours in wine. The losses can be attributed directly to smoke taint in the wine, or indirectly through the inability to market grapes from smoke affected areas. During the 2019–20 bushfires, many wine areas were subject to very high smoke doses at threshold levels sufficient to cause serious losses due to smoke taint. This situation is exacerbated by the expected increased frequency of bushfires in a changing climate and the need for land management agencies to conduct planned burns as a risk reduction measure.

Research approach

The project will:

• Develop a simpler and cheaper smoke sensor (such as the SMOG units used by CSIRO) in collaboration with a commercial partner.
• Calibrate readings from the new units to VESDA® outputs, which are already linked to levels of smoke compounds in grapes and wine. Previous smoke data gathered on site in vineyards next to planned burns and bushfires will be used to validate a prediction model. This will show how to accurately link cumulative smoke dose data to smoke taint in wine grapes.
• Integrate the network with the existing Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) network in Victoria and other air monitoring systems nationally.
• Expand and refine the Air Rater app and the air quality interface system (AQFx and AQVx), which monitors and forecasts real time smoke movement to warn growers when smoke taint thresholds are exceeded.

Sector benefits

The project will develop and roll out an effective early warning system for smoke damage to vineyards. The network and its reporting system will improve the operation and planning of the planned burn program by providing accurately monitored smoke dose (and smoke taint compounds) on a small spatial scale and satisfying the sector that their vineyards are safe (or not) from smoke generated from any planned burns or bushfires.