FIRE-prevention measures around Frankston are in full swing with Frankston Council workers burning off in the Upper Sweetwater Reserve last Wednesday.

The council manages several small reserves and conducts about five burns a year.

The acting team leader of natural reserves Ricardo Simao said the prescribed burns aimed to strike a balance between reducing fuel loads and conservation.

"We never burn more than 10per cent of a reserve. Burning too little or too much is detrimental to maintaining greater biodiversity."

However, he said there were limits to preventive measures and residents needed to be vigilant throughout the fire season. "You could spend a lot of money, throw a lot more resources at fuel reduction, but the risk of fire does not reduce at the same rate of investment, unfortunately."

Earlier this year councillors decided to increase the municipality's budget on fire prevention by $70,000 to $250,000.

Fauna living in the reserve includes blue tongue lizards, sugar gliders and owlet-nightjars, which breed from July to December.

The natural reserves team conducted a "pre-burn assessment" of fauna habitat and flora before last week's 0.3-hectare burn at the eight-hectare reserve.

"We look for hollows in trees and cut the brush around the base," Mr Simao said. "If the tree does catch we have hoses there to extinguish the fire."

Despite light winds and morning dew, council officers stayed overnight in shifts to make sure no embers threatened the reserve or nearby houses.

The council plans its next burn at Paratea Reserve.

Meanwhile, council remains deadlocked with the State Government over new '10-30' laws that allow landowners to clear their properties without a permit.

The council says its local tree law prevails over the new legislation but the Government insists that is not the case, leaving landowners uncertain over whether they will be fined for removing trees and vegetation.

"The council's legal advice states that Frankston's tree protection local law, which applies to trees larger than 110 centimetres in circumference at the base, is still enforceable," said the council's chief executive George Modrich.

The council has introduced on-the-spot permits to remove vegetation assessed as being a genuine fire threat.

"While discussions with the Government are still taking place, applications for removal of trees in bushfire-prone areas are being given high priority and our systems have been streamlined to permit the issue of on-the-spot permits for tree removal where this is considered appropriate."