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  • From: Bob Howard <rmhoward@omninet.net.au>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Indigenous land use (was: imitating fire)
  • Date: Thu, 09 May 2002 08:31:03 +0800

In Australia the use f fire by indigenous people has been long documented. In fact the term "fire stick farming" was conceived by Rhys Jones at Uni of Tasmania in the 1960's. In Tasmania fire causes the replacement of the southern beech forests with eucalyptus forests and the areas that were burnt by native Tasmanians are readily discernible in the change in vegetation.

I have long suspected that Rhys Jones work was part of the inspiration for permaculture as he was a contemporary of Bill Mollison's during the late 60's early 70's. It's significant that Bill wrote Permaculture one after the '74 Hobart bush fire. He used the fact of his houses survival because of his use of fire suppressant plants.

The use of fire by indigenous people has been a source of considerable discussion over the last 30 years in Australia.

In the Karri and Jarrah forests where controlled burning has been undertaken since the Dwellingup bushfire of 1969 - the debate has been about the frequency and timing of fires. C.A.L.M., the forest managers, initially concentrated on spring fires which were cool burning. However this resulted in the spread of dieback susceptible species such as banksias rather than acacias which need hotter conditions to germinate. As well, Spring fires have a large impact on breeding birds and other species.

In the last few years CALM has moved to a more flexible regime with autumn burns incorporated. Fire frequency has an impact on species that can't seed or survive between fires. Some shrubs require 7 years growth before they seed and don't survive the fire - other species can cope with much greater frequencies. Similarly some animals, honey possums, woylies and chudditch (native cat) take up to 15 years to recover their populations following fires. Other species such as insectivorous bandicoots peak within 3 years of a bush fire.

CALM has recently published research showing that the Karri/jarrah forests had much greater fire frequencies than what is practiced today.

Aboriginal fire practice in the south west relied upon summer burning which would not be conceivable today. Yet in 1830 at the time of colonization Noongar people around Albany were burning in January/ February  to the point that the sky was constantly smoky during these months.

Setting fire to the bush was a Noongar land owner's right and if others set fire to their land it was a cause of great offence. The purpose of Noongar fire farming was - just that - farming. We tend to underestimate the knowledge that Noongar people had of their domains -  fires were quite deliberately set with an understanding of where they would burn and where and when they would go out. Today's firelighters tend to be just beginning to learn this sort of skill.

Regards

Bob Howard

P.S. A good source for the South west of Australia is Sylvia Hallam's book "Fire and Hearth". (U.W.A. Press)



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