Hold the fire stick

The myth that broadscale burning of some Australian forest types effectively reduces hazards to nearby built environments is slowly being revealed as a lie (Katherine Wilson, “Fires and fury”, May 12–18). Such a crude rationalisation often conceals a commercial imperative or a misplaced desire to tame and tidy up our wild lands. In many moist sclerophyll forest communities such as those described, repeated burning to reduce bushfire risk does the opposite – it dries out the bush and replaces fire-resistant species with fire-loving species. Land-management authorities in eastern Australia are gradually moving away from a crude “hectares burnt” analysis and using sacrificial strip burning or mechanical fuel reduction adjoining human assets. In some cases simply leaving some forest types invites stable leaf litter decomposition which effectively and naturally reduces flammable leaf litter to soil. The wider adoption of cool burning techniques in a small-scale mosaic pattern as adopted for millennia by Indigenous Australians also offers benefits and leaves habitat trees undamaged for our native animals. A smarter, more judicious use of the fire stick by public land-management authorities will be better for our biodiversity, air quality and neighbouring communities. In this instance smaller is often better.

– Martin Smith, Fernbrook, NSW