Fire research in Australia providing lessons and mitigation

Australia’s bushfire landscape has been shaped by 60 years plus of important fire research, providing a legacy of lessons in fire mitigation, behaviour, suppression and other research areas, and the attached comprehensive review highlights this.

The full review is included here.

A legacy of high standard and effective research

Fire research has been critical in the development of Australian fire management, 143 research reports are highlighted in Annexure 1 of the full review. The author of this review considers that many of the listed research across Australia has been world-class in relation to prescribed burning, aerial prescribed burning development, fire behaviour and fuels, fire effects, Aboriginal and human burning, unnatural fire regimes, severe fire events, eucalypt decline, bushfire suppression and lesson capture.

Researchers such as Alan McArthur, Harry Luke, David Packham, and Geoffrey Rodger are recognised for their foundational contributions. Their work laid the groundwork for understanding fire dynamics and developing practical tools for suppression and prevention. 

Case studies in fire research excellence Three major research programs illustrate the depth and impact of Australian fire science:

• Southwest Western Australia (WA): The Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) led extensive studies on forest fire behaviour, effects, and suppression. 
• Project Aquarius (1983–1984): Initiated by CSIRO, this project investigated the effectiveness of aerial water and retardant application. 
• Project Vesta (1996–2007): This long-term study, involving CSIRO and WA’s Department of Environment and Conservation, examined fire behaviour in dry eucalypt forests. 

Aerial prescribed burning revolutionised fire management in Australia

The development of aerial prescribed burning revolutionised fire management in Australia. First trialled in WA’s Pingerup State Forest in 1965, the technique quickly spread nationwide. By the early 1970s, WA was conducting aerial burns over 300,000 hectares annually, dramatically reducing the incidence of severe bushfires.

Innovations such as the incendiary capsule, combining potassium permanganate and ethylene glycol, enabled precise ignition on the ground from aircraft. This method allowed for grid-pattern burns, ensuring thorough fuel reduction even in inaccessible areas, spacing and the location of the capsules to minimise scorch.

The success of aerial burning extended beyond Australia, influencing fire management practices globally. It offered a scalable, efficient, and safe solution to the challenge of managing vast forested landscapes under mild weather conditions.

Modern advances and ongoing challenges

Aerial fire management now includes planes, helicopters, drones, and advanced ignition systems. These tools enhance safety, precision, and coverage, particularly in rugged terrain.

As outlined in the review, current research sometimes downplays the importance of prescribed burning and fails to address practical failures in fire management. Long intervals between burns, sometimes up to 60 years, have led to dangerously high fuel loads across landscapes.

The review calls for renewed attention to high fuel loads and strata, fuel reduction, better consideration of lightning strike scenarios in high fuel loads, and improved focus on community, firefighter and ecosystem safety in relation to intense bushfires.

A path forward

Fire research is critical in the development of effective fire management strategies. It is important that research programs soundly progress research including prescribed burning, aerial prescribed burning development, fire behaviour and fuels, fire effects, Aboriginal and human burning, unnatural fire regimes, severe fire events, eucalypt decline, bushfire suppression and effective lesson capture. 

As fire risks evolve, fuel loads increase and understories across landscapes increase (from intense bushfires and eucalypt decline), it is crucial to revisit and apply research lessons and assess research directions with renewed urgency to optimise community, firefighter and ecosystem safety in relation to intense bushfires.

Read the full report

Source: John O’Donnell