Tenterfield councillors have supported a move by Mayor Peter Petty to approach state and federal representatives to request more park and forest fire management activities by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Forestry Corporation and Local Land Services, as a duty of care.
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Council will also push the proposal through the NSW Country Mayors' Association.
The move follows February's devastating bushfires, with many landholders laying part of the blame on a buildup of fuel on public lands.
Councillor Bronwyn Petrie proposed more meetings with landholders to strengthen the claim of how these reserves contributed to the blazes.
Councillors have no beef with local NPWS staff who, as area manager Michael Lieberman explained at March's fire debrief, are meeting their targets for hazard reduction.
He felt the fires were due to a weather-generated event involving drought, hot conditions and strong winds, and encouraged any neighbouring landholders with issues to come and talk to staff.
"The targets obviously aren't high enough," Cr Petrie said. "It's no good burning around the edges if the middle is a tinder spot."
Council itself isn't off the hook, with Cr Petrie saying some council roadsides could also use attention.
"We have to look after our own backyard."
Cr Petty's proposal includes not only increasing hazard reduction burns but also boosting the number of dams and water infrastructure points for future fire fighting. Cr Petrie called the use of neighbouring farmers' water stores to extinguish fires on public land "morally reprehensible", given the drought conditions.
Through the mayor Mr Lieberman has invited councillors on a tour of local national parks to see for themselves the state of the fuel load and infrastructure, which councillors accepted. Cr Petty said this would allow the conversation to proceed in a more relaxed environment.
"As mayor I want to pursue this as far as possible," he said.
Cr Gary Verri feels that if stock routes were better managed, they'd act as a firebreak so that the fuel loads in national parks were not an issue.
Boonoo Boonoo and Bald Rock National Parks remain entirely closed and Basket Swamp horse riding trails of off-limits following the fires.
