Usage of Cool Burning as a Contributor to Bushfire Mitigation

Richard Skiba

doi:10.4236/nr.2020.118018

Abstract

This paper considers and describes the cool burning techniques long utilized by Australian Indigenous people as a contributor to bushfire mitigation. Indigenous fire management involves lighting the “cool” fires in selected areas between March and July, in Australia, during the early dry season. The fires burn gradually, reducing fuel loads and creating fire breaks and not all of the area is burnt. Late in the dry season, when the weather is very hot, the method removes fuel for larger fires while maintaining and protecting habitat for mammals, reptiles, insects and birds. The management of Indigenous cultural fire offers an Indigenous viewpoint for wider control of fire and cultural fire management is an opportunity for collaborations to encourage Aboriginal empowerment with public and private sector organisations. Effective cool burning in contemporary prescribed burning activities can be achieved through implementation of good training, strong partnerships, carefully considered on ground practices and appropriate and effective techniques.

Highlights

Bushfires can have a devastating impact on people’s safety, property and the environment
This paper considers and describes the cool burning techniques long utilized by Australian Indigenous people as a contributor to bushfire mitigation
In light of our recent catastrophic bushfire season, there has been a national shift in consciousness about land management and bush fire prevention

Summary

Introduction

Bushfires can have a devastating impact on people’s safety, property and the environment. The primary objective of bushfire mitigation is to alleviate the potential risk to public safety and property, as far as reasonably practicable. Mitigation requires management activities prior to the outbreak of a fire and these include the actions that can be taken by land managers, fire agencies and at-risk. Hot bushfires sweep over a wide proportion of this area each year during the late dry season causing considerable destruction. Such fires, like natural ecosystems and agriculture, kill everything in their way. Korff [3] quantifies that 3% of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions are caused by methane and nitrous oxide emissions from savannah hot burning fires

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