Across Australia, the revival of First Nations-led cultural burning is gaining long-overdue recognition for its ecological, cultural, and practical value. However, after decades of fire suppression, land clearing, and altered land use, many forests are no longer in a condition where cultural burning can be safely or effectively reintroduced without preparatory work¹. In such cases, ecological thinning and debris removal may be necessary steps to restore the forest to a manageable state.
Preparing Country for cultural fire
Cultural burning, practised by First Nations peoples for tens of thousands of years, relies on low-intensity, cool-burning fires that move slowly across the landscape. These fires help maintain biodiversity, regenerate certain plant species, reduce fuel loads, and support cultural connections with Country. However, in many areas, the absence of regular traditional burning has allowed vegetation to build up beyond what cultural fire methods can handle safely². Attempting to reintroduce cultural burning in these overgrown forests without prior intervention can risk dangerous fire behaviour and threaten ecological and cultural values².
Victor Steffensen, a First Nations fire practitioner and author of Fire Country, emphasises the importance of preparation:
“You can’t just go and light a fire anywhere and call it a cultural burn. You’ve got to know the landscape, understand its needs, and get it ready.”³
This preparation may involve ecological thinning and debris reduction. By opening up the canopy, reducing ground fuel, and improving access, these treatments can prepare the forest for the safe and effective return of cultural fire practices⁴.
Ecological thinning and debris removal: tools for restoration
Ecological thinning involves the selective removal of trees, typically in overstocked forests where decades of fire exclusion have led to dense stands with excessive competition for light, water, and nutrients⁴. Debris removal includes clearing accumulated ground fuel – such as fallen branches, dead wood, and dense understorey shrubs – that can contribute to high-intensity, uncontrollable fires. These treatments aim to restore forest structure, improve resilience, and create safer conditions for cultural fire practices⁴.
Research indicates that such interventions can reduce fire risk and enhance forest health. For instance, ecological thinning has been shown to decrease fuel loads and improve the growth rate of remaining trees, thereby increasing their resilience to fire and other stressors⁵.
First Nations leadership is essential
While ecological treatments can help restore balance, they must never occur in isolation from First Nations leadership and Knowledge. It is essential that any thinning or debris removal be done in consultation with First Nations Knowledge holders, ensuring alignment with cultural values, seasonal patterns, species Knowledge, and long-held practices of caring for Country².
This also means respecting Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) rights and ensuring that decisions about fire on Country follow appropriate cultural governance processes – including free, prior and informed consent. As outlined in Our Knowledge Our Way, Knowledge is not only about ecological facts but about relationships, responsibilities, and lore⁶.
First Nations rangers and fire practitioners possess deep Knowledge of plant and animal behaviours, fire timing, and the interconnectedness of all living systems. Combining this Knowledge with scientific ecological assessments offers the best chance to transition forests back to a state where cultural burning – and the broader cycle of First Nations forest management – can resume sustainably².
Towards shared goals for Country
When done collaboratively and respectfully, ecological thinning and debris reduction can help achieve both ecological and cultural goals. They are not endpoints, but transitional tools – used only where necessary – to restore the forest to a condition where First Nations-led management can take the lead once more.
This approach recognises that caring for Country is not just about fire or trees, but about restoring relationships: between people, land, species, and story. In doing so, we not only heal landscapes but support intergenerational Knowledge transfer, cultural revitalisation, and long-term resilience in the face of climate change.
As Our Knowledge Our Way highlights, “healing one part will help heal another.” Preparing Country through ecological thinning and debris reduction may be one such step toward healing both land and people. ⁶
As we face increasing threats from severe bushfires and biodiversity loss, walking together – combining traditional and modern knowledge – offers the most grounded, holistic path forward. And it begins with preparing Country, the right way.
References
1Forestry Australia 2023, Thinning of native forest: position statement, Forestry Australia, https:
2Australian Museum n.d., Cultural fire practices, Australian Museum, viewed June 2025, https:
3Steffensen, V 2020, Fire country: how Indigenous fire management could help save Australia, Hardie Grant Publishing, Melbourne.
4Biodiversity Conservation Trust of NSW 2020, Ecological thinning guidelines, Biodiversity Conservation Trust, Ecological Thinning Guidelines.
5Nguyen, TH, Jones, S, Reinke, KJ & Soto-Berelov, M 2024, ‘An exploratory analysis of forest fine fuel consumption and accumulation using forest inventory data and fire history’, International Journal of Wildland Fire,
6Woodward, E, Hill, R, Harkness, P & Archer, R (eds) 2020, Our knowledge our way in caring for Country: Indigenous-led approaches to strengthening and sharing our knowledge for land and sea management, CSIRO, Australia, https:
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