Hazard burn closes Gunnedah's Boonalla Aboriginal Area, as Forestry finishes operation in Jacks Creek State Forest, near Narrabri

But there is no cause for concern with the blaze part of a hazard reduction operation being undertaken in the Boonalla Aboriginal Area, about 25km north of Gunnedah.

The 100-hectare burn started on Wednesday, May 24, and will burn for three days, if the current weather conditions stay favourable for firefighters.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is carrying out the burn which could see smoke drift towards the Kelvin Road area, depending on the wind direction.

The burn has forced the closure of the Boonalla area, and the NPWS is urging motorists to use caution surrounding the area with smoke likely to impact visibility in and around the park's roads.

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"Boonalla Aboriginal Area will be closed to visitors during burning operations," a NPWS spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"The burn is to reduce fuels and to create a mosaic across the landscape within Boonalla Aboriginal Area.

"Visitors should not enter closed areas until it is assessed as safe by NPWS."

NPWS staff are working with the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) to coordinate the burn.

The burn is one of several being undertaken by crews across the region.

Forestry Corporation has just wrapped up a week-long hazard reduction burn in the Jacks Creek State Forest, south of Narrabri.

The burn was carried out across 1000 hectares in the state forest by Forestry's Northern Cypress crews, and backed by the local RFS.

"The burn has been extremely complex in planning and conduction due to threatened species in the state forest and due to air intakes for a neighbouring underground mine," Forestry Corporation's Fire Officer Western Region Brody Wickham said.

A similar attempt was abandoned a couple of years ago because of the La Nina conditions, but crews were determined to finish the job this time round to safeguard nearby properties that border the forest.

"This hazard reduction will provide vital protection to multiple lifestyle blocks to the north of Jacks Creek State Forest," Mr Wickham said.

"The community has expressed concern at the high fuel loads in the area, which has not been burnt by wildfire for many years.

"Attempts were made to conduct hazard reduction burns in that area of the state forest about two years ago, but the vegetation was found to be too wet at the time with consecutive La Nina weather systems causing high moisture contents and making burning unviable."

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