Wildfire is a natural phenomenon in many Australian environments. The intentional setting of fire to manage the landscape was practised by Aboriginal people for millennia.
(A)
However, the pattern of burning that stockmen introduced was unlike previous regimes. When conditions allowed, they would set fire to the landscape as they moved their animals out for the winter. This functioned to clear woody vegetation and also stimulated new plant growth in the following spring.
(B)
Although grasses were the first kinds of plants to recolonize the burnt areas they were soon succeeded by further woody plants and shrubs. About the only strategy to prevent such regrowth was further burning ― essentially using fire to control the consequences of using fire.
(C)
The young shoots were a ready food source for their animals when they returned. However, the practice also tended to reinforce the scrubby growth it was intended to control.
* regime: 양식 ** scrubby: 관목이 우거진
