Frequent Fire Makes The Bush More Likely To Burn UOW Study Finds

New research out of the University of Wollongong has revealed that, in the study area of the Australian Alps, fire has made the bush more likely to burn.

And while Dr Philip Zylstra says his findings don’t mean hazard reduction burns should be stopped, he says it does challenge “the central assumptions in Australian fire management”.

He calls these ever-present burns “prescribed burning” as “it’s only hazard reduction if it does reduce the hazards”.

“Traditionally, people think ‘oh, that forest hasn’t burnt for a long time, so it’s flammable’,” he said. “We now know that that’s just not true in the alps, and it’s not true in a lot other other areas – it is just an assumption.”