We've collected a wealth of research and information about fire management and fire risk in forests. The page below is filled with various resources, both internal and external. It is by no means exhaustive, and we will continue to update it whenever possible to reflect this rapidly growing field of research.
Webinars on Forests and Fire:
The following videos are a part of the VFA's Webinar Series, with various experts on fire.
Download the summary sheet from the webinar.
Download the summary sheet from the webinar.
Download the summary sheet from the webinar.
Download the summary sheet from the webinar.
Read more about Green Fire Walls and Fire Wise Gardening.
Other Videos:
Some other relevant video content:
News Articles:
The case for up-to-date bushfire detection and suppression: Katherine Wilson, Saturday Paper
In 1939, a Royal Commission found burning forests leads to more bushfires. But this cycle of destruction can be stopped: The Conversation
Bad fire science can kill our threatened species. It’s time to cooperate with nature: Zylstra, The Conversation
What is a healthy forest?: Lindenmayer, Pearls and Irritations
Endangered greater glider found dead next to department’s felling site: Sydney Morning Herald
Prescribed burning's impact on biodiversity: Bradshaw, Lindenmayer, Zylstra, Dixon; Pearls and Irritations
Forests, logging, fire and First Nations – the native forest logging industry re-emerges under different guises: Lindenmayer, The Point
Do 'fuel breaks' stack up for us and our forests?: Taylor, Lindenmayer, Pearls and Irritations
Fire in the bully: Wilson, The Monthly
The fire cult: Wilson, Overland
Journal Articles:
Rebutting a recent Victorian bushfire myth: Ian Penna, The Victorian Naturalist
Prescribed burning could be making Aussie forests more flammable: David Lindenmayer, ANU
Late Quaternary fire regimes of Australasia: Quaternary Science Reviews
Flammability dynamics in the Australian Alps: Zylstra, Austral Ecology
Biophysical Mechanistic Modelling Quantifies the Effects of Plant Traits on Fire Severity: Species, Not Surface Fuel Loads, Determine Flame Dimensions in Eucalypt Forests: Zylstra, Plos One
Self-thinning forest understoreys reduce wildfire risk, even in a warming climate: Zylstra, Bradshaw and Lindenmayer, Environmental Research Letters
Health burden associated with fire smoke in Sydney, 2001–2013: Medical Journal of Australia
Health burden of bushfire smoke in Australia: Nicolas Borchers
Old forests three times less flammable: Bradshaw, UWA
Land Management Practices Associated with House Loss in Wildfires: Plos One
Long-unburnt habitat is critical for the conservation of threatened vertebrates across Australia: Springer Nature
Function of PM2.5 in the pathogenesis of lung cancer and chronic airway inflammatory diseases (Review): Spandidos Publications
Expert Academics:
The following are some of the foremost academics in Australian forest and fire science.
Clicking on any name will take you to a list of some of their individual and joint research outputs, for further reading and investigation.
Associate Professor Phil Zylstra
Emeritus Professor Don Bradshaw
Other Resources
Fire regimes that cause declines in biodiversity: Advice to the Minister for the Environment from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee on amendments to the List of Key Threatening Processes under the EPBC Act 1999
Providence Ponds Flora and Fauna Reserve Post burn Survey Report 2025: Gippsland Environment Group
Reducing the effect of planned burns on hollow-bearing trees: Lakes Entrance Landcare Report
Fire-Wise Gardening Resources:
-
Plants for Fire Risk Areas - Australian Native Plants Society
- Designing for Resilience: Creating Bushfire-Resistant Landscapes in NSW - Dapple Designs
Download our Fire Fast Facts sheet for a brief overview.
