The quarterly national Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for September to November, developed by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC), the Bureau of Meteorology and state fire service agencies, shows parts of Victoria will experience a wet spring.

The outlook shows there will be average to above average rainfall across much of Victoria, which is predicted to lead to continued strong grass growth and the potential of grassfire conditions when vegetation dries out.

The Country Fire Authority's deputy chief officer in the west region, Michael Boatman, said a wet spring meant the upcoming fire season was shaping up to be similar to last year - a relatively 'average' fire season.

"It's still very wet around Ballarat at the moment but eventually it will dry out and the grass will grow," he said. "What that means is that fires will happen, but the grass fire season will be a little later than average."

As the weather warms and grass starts to grow during the next few months, he said there would be greater potential for grass fires which can move quickly and threaten properties and life.

He encouraged the community to be prepared and have their fire plans in place.

"We are really encouraging people to keep grass mowed to clear the hazard when it starts growing rapidly," he said.

Other ways to prepare your property include moving woodpiles away from the house, pruning back trees and cleaning out gutters.

Related coverage: How climate change will change the fire risk in the Ballarat region by the end of the century

Fire crews have had a number of recent call-outs to fires which have turned out to be burn-offs which have gotten away, prompting deputy chief officer Boatman to remind residents to notify the burn off notification line of their plans and to ensure they have the equipment and manpower to manage burn piles.

"During the next couple of months as people start doing that more and more - clear out the winter growth and prunings - they just need to make sure they keep it under control," he said.

Conditions are mostly normal or wetter than normal across many forested areas across the state, with the forecast rainfall during spring to lead to a below average bushfire risk during summer.

While the storms brought down many trees in forested areas across the region in June, particularly in the Wombat Forest, he said big trees would not dry out enough to burn - whether they were still standing or had fallen to the ground.

However, as some of the smaller twigs and leaf litter dry on the ground dry out it may be available to burn.

Forest Fire Management Victoria is continuing to clear fire access tracks through the areas the storms hit before summer.

While spring is historically a more challenging time of year for large-scale planned burning due to less predictable weather conditions, such as wind, the higher moisture in forests may provide opportunities for planned burning this year.

Works are supported by mechanical fuel management, including slashing and mulching, as well as creating and maintaining fuel breaks to reduce the risk of bushfire.

With the forecast conditions and average temperatures during the next few months, deputy chief officer Boatman said it was expected the fire danger period would most likely come into effect around mid-December in the Ballarat region.

While it is wet around Ballarat, it is not so wet around other parts of western Victoria, such as Horsham. It is expected their fire season may begin a little bit earlier.

Emergency Management Commissioner, Andrew Crisp, said the spring outlook gave an early indication of what the state could expect during summer and would be updated in November.

FFMVic Chief Fire Officer, Chris Hardman, said all visitors to parks and forests had a role to play to reduce the risk of fire.

"Despite a wetter than average winter in some parts of the state, it only takes a few days of extreme weather conditions for the fire risk to rapidly rise."

"With a greater number of visitors to our parks and forests, it's crucial the community work with us to prevent bushfires from starting and pay attention to campfire safety. Unattended campfires can spread quickly and have devastating impacts on communities and the environment."

CFA Chief Officer, Jason Heffernan, said that even a normal fire season could present a high risk to communities.

"I encourage all Victorians to plan and prepare for their safety and ensure that everyone in their household knows what to do on hot, dry, windy days when fires can start and spread quickly."

Register your burn-off online via the Fire Permits Victoria website

Our team of local journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the Ballarat community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: