Fire and Ecology

Fire Management vs Ecology

For people living in country areas, fire safety is always an important issue. So too is good ecological management of bushland. It is often thought that good fire management excludes any consideration of the well-being of the bush. It is true that some fire management practices have been very destructive of the environment. Using machinery to create fire breaks is one such. A commonly held belief is that if you plant with exotic (non-native) species near your house it will be safe. Some people think that burning the bush is always ecologically destructive. Others think that it is always a good thing for the environment.

The links on this page are to what we think are reliable sources of information about the issue of fire and ecology.

A paper on Fire and Biodiversity is worth looking at from the point of view of the ecology of bushfires in Australia.

There has been some concern about the recent introduction of the use of foam in bushfires. There is evidence that it might not be a problem.

Fighting bushfires need not involve methods that are destructive of the bush. Here is some information on minimum impact suppression techniques (MIST).

Information is sometimes circulated that there are 'fire safe' species of plants that should be used for landscaping around houses. No species is able to stop a fire or protect people or their assets!

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	A paper on Fire and Biodiversity is worth looking at from the point of view of the ecology of bushfires in Australia.
	There has been some concern about the recent introduction of the use of foam in bushfires. There is evidence that it might not be a problem.
	Fighting bushfires need not involve methods that are destructive of the bush. Here is some information on minimum impact suppression techniques (MIST).
	Information is sometimes circulated that there are 'fire safe' species of plants that should be used for landscaping around houses. No species is able to stop a fire or protect people or their assets!