Fire and the NSW bush

Understanding how fires behave and their ecological effects also helps us to conserve our rich diversity of plants and animals. Fire is a powerful evolutionary force, and although most plants and animals in NSW have developed responses to it that help them survive and thrive, changing fire patterns and other environmental pressures can exceed their ability to adapt.

For example, species such as wattles, banksias and eucalypts have evolved to exploit the post-fire landscape by germinating immediately after fire. In fact, some plant species don’t germinate substantially in the absence of fire.

However, too-frequent fires can also threaten native plants and animals. Plants such as many banksia and casuarina species are killed by fire, but their seeds survive to start a new generation. The little trees that sprout from the seeds will take five or more years before they are able to grow their own seeds. If another fire comes through the area in that time, they will be killed and there will be very few seeds to carry on the species.

Find out more about fire in the NSW environment

• Learn about how factors such as wind, slope and climate affect how a fire behaves.
• Read a brief history of fire in Australia, and find out how the patterns and frequency of fire have changed over time.
• See how the plants and animals of NSW have adapted to evolving in a fiery environment