In the summer of 2019-20 over 430,000ha of land in the North East CMA area (22% of the catchment) was impacted by bushfires. Although occurring in multiple areas, the Upper Murray was particularly impacted, as fires occurred in both public and private agricultural lands and across several small townships.
The North East CMA’s Bushfire Recovery Program aims to work with communities impacted by the 2019-20 fires to restore sites of prior CMA investment by undertaking fencing, revegetation, weed control and bank stabilisation works. The Bushfire Recovery program will also identify and prioritise works on sites that contribute to improving river health outcomes. Though the majority of works are planned to be undertaken in the Upper Murray, the Upper Mitta Mitta and Upper Ovens are also included in the project area.
Recognising that weed invasion poses a major threat to both river and catchment health after fires, woody weed control across impacted waterways and priority landscapes are included as part of the recovery program.
. 
