Fire regimes

Fire as an ecological process

Using fire in land management is not a new idea. First Nations communities in Australia have effectively used burning practices for thousands of years to care for Country, not just in reducing fire hazards but as part of maintaining the overall health and biodiversity of the landscape.

The Mulligans Flat-Goorooyarroo Woodland Experiment incorporated prescribed burns at a time when not much academic research had been done on fire in this particular type of ecosystem. Other restoration treatments – fencing, feral animal removal, and the introduction of woody debris – had already been successfully implemented, and the experimental framework allowed us to develop our knowledge of prescribed burns as a tool for conservation.

Ecological burns in the two nature reserves are also a fantastic example of collaboration between scientists and land managers, with extensive consultation guiding the initial fire treatments. Fuel reduction burns, weed control and ecological burns continue to play an important role in the overall management of the reserves.