Plans to develop a fire calendar and to offer a cool burning service are underway in Queensland's south west.
The initiative springs from the Fire in the Mulga forum in Charleville in 2022, attended by Fire Lore custodian Robbie Williams and Aboriginal elders from Cunnamulla.
Southern Queensland Landscapes project officer Brian 'Jackson' Shillingsworth said the enthusiasm generated by that event had led on to some cultural burning last June on a 405ha tract of land owned by Steven Blore at Eulo.
"I brought up Uncle John Bird to the forum, and my Uncle Tom has good relations with the landholder, Steve," Mr Shillingsworth said. "It's his (Tom's) traditional Mardigan country, red kangaroo country, and we got a space to burn last June."
As well as giving the uncles a space to share their knowledge, Mr Williams attended and explained his process, sharing not just cultural knowledge but undertaking a flora and fauna survey and using drones to scope out the burnt country.
"We combined western technology with traditional knowledge to give us an understanding of where else to burn," Mr Shillingsworth said.
Also present at the burn on hard mulga country were Rural Fire representatives with a water tanker, watching as the low flame crept along, making its white smoke in grass where it had rained two days earlier.
More rain a few days later, plus the carbon left for the soil, has produced a great result according to Mr Shillingsworth, who showed images of flourishing grass and plenty of animal activity.
He said Mr Blore had trusted the process and was now seeing the results, which is where the idea for a calendar came from.
"The calendar would run from May to August," Mr Shillingsworth said.
"Once it's developed, we'd have a resource available for landholders - they could adapt their grazing calendar around it.
"It's in a trial stage at the moment, but people are talking about getting fire back in the landscape."
Another benefit could be the creation of employment pathways for young people via a rangelands business partnership with Fire Lore, which operates along Australia's east coast.
Federal Nationals leader David Littleproud and Queensland's Chief Scientist are among those who've been shown the plans, and Mr Shillingsworth said the former had expressed interest in involving other groups, such as AgForce and the MLA to collaborate on a program that could be used Australia-wide.
According to SQ Landscapes rangelands team projects lead Chris Crafter, members of Queensland's Department of Environment and Science had been very pleased with everything they'd heard about the program and were keen to support it.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
