Every year the two private lodges in the area undertake some controlled burning around the properties to reduce the build-up of fuel and minimise the risk of Dry season bushfires moving through the area later in the year. These slow-moving controlled burns strip away any dry grass and fallen branches, while leaving the larger Eucalypts and Palm trees mostly intact. Burning small patches also allows native wildlife to move into adjacent areas. The combination of natural and manmade firebreaks and a high dew point in the evenings help contain the fires which self-extinguish within a day or two. It looks pretty severe at the time but the grass starts growing back within days. It's a small price to pay for avoiding larger and more destructive fires.
Patchwork burning practices have been used across Australia by Indigenous people for thousands of years. It's often the absence of adequate burning, combined with a warming climate, that creates the conditions that give rise to fires that burn across the Kimberley for weeks at a time during the drier months. These larger fires wreak havoc on native wildlife and natural habitat.
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