PROJECT
Cool Burn Squad
Protecting Agricultural Lands through Traditional Fire Management
Burnett Mary Regional Group acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands, waters and skies of the Burnett Mary region, and their deep and continuing connection to Country.
We recognise that cultural fire has cared for this Country for tens of thousands of years, and we pay our respects to Elders past and present and emerging. The knowledge shared through the Cool Burn Squad belongs to the First Nations peoples who hold it.
Cool burning is one of the oldest land management practices on Earth.
Low, slow and deliberate, it has cared for Country for thousands of years through the knowledge and leadership of Traditional Owners.
Today, the Burnett Mary Regional Group's Cool Burn Squad brings this knowledge into practice across the region, working alongside Traditional Owners and landholders to improve the health of Country, protect life and property, and build more resilient landscapes.
What is a cool burn?
A cool burn is a low-intensity fire, lit at the right time,
in the right place, in the right way.
It moves slowly and stays close to the ground. It clears the built-up fuel that feeds destructive summer fires, without scorching the canopy or the soil. Animals can move away from it. Seed banks survive it. Soil nutrients are enhanced by it. The Country that comes back after a cool burn is healthier than the Country before it.
Through cool burning, Country is cared for, it remembers what belongs, and its identity begins to be restored.
This is not hazard reduction as most people know it.
It is a practice grounded in reading Country:
the season, the wind, the moisture, the plants, and knowing when the land is asking for fire and when it is not.
500 ha
50,000 ha
Area treated
with cultural
fire
Area protected by
Cool Burn
Management Plans
8
30
Workshops
delivered across
the region
Joint operations delivered with stakeholder organisations
150
Landholders and community members trained in cool burn methodology
For thousands of years, cool burning kept the Burnett Mary region healthy, alongside bushfire or wildfire as a regular ecological disturbance that resets ecosystems.
Without cool burning, Country gets sick, fuel loads build up, weeds move in and fires burn hotter and do more damage on a more frequent basis. Cool burning turns that around. Done well, it:
Reduces the fuel that drives dangerous wildfire, protecting homes, crops, stock and neighbours
Improves soil nutrients, land condition and waterways
Encourages native grasses and diverse ground cover to return
Restores and protects food and habitat for people and animals that depend on managed Country
Maintains connection between people and the land they live on
The Cool Burn Squad's work is as much about knowledge as it is about fire. Every burn is a chance for landholders and Traditional Owners to stand on Country together and learn alongside each other.
The Cool Burn Squad works alongside eligible landholders to deliver planned cool burns that reduce bushfire risk while protecting Country, prime agricultural assets and the health of the landscape.
Every burn is carefully planned and led by experienced fire practitioners and Traditional Owners, using low-intensity fire applied at the right time, in the right place and under the right conditions.
Cool Burn Operations
Cool Burn Management Plans
Every participating property receives a tailored Cool Burn Management Plan.
Developed in collaboration with the landholder, each plan considers the property's landscapes, assets, vegetation, operational constraints and long-term management goals.
The plan provides a practical framework for future fire management, helping landholders make informed decisions and build long-term resilience.
Workshops
The Cool Burn Squad also delivers hands-on workshops on Country, not in a classroom.
Participants observe experienced fire practitioners and Traditional Owners planning and conducting cool burns, while learning how to read the landscape, understand fire behaviour and appreciate the role of cultural burning in protecting Country and agricultural land.
Most people arrive curious or apprehensive about fire. They leave with a deeper understanding of it and an even greater respect for its power, its purpose, and its place in caring for Country.
Traditional Owners tell us cool burns work. We back it with data collection.
Before and after each cool burn, we assess soil composition, land condition and fuel loads to measure changes across the landscape. This monitoring provides valuable evidence of how cool burning improves ecosystem health, fuel reduction and landscape resilience, while supporting continuous learning alongside Traditional Knowledge.
The Cool Burn Squad is a partnership
Traditional Owners
guide the
practice
open their properties and put the knowledge to work
Landholders
Local organisations
bring collaboration and capability
Burnett Mary Regional Group
coordinates and facilitates the program
Looking for cool burn support on your property?
If you're interested in a Cool Burn or a property-specific Cool Burn Management Plan, start by registering your property. We'll assess eligibility, discuss your goals and explore the most suitable pathway for your land.As places for on-ground operations are limited each season, priority is given to eligible properties that best align with the program objectives of protecting prime agricultural land.
Want to learn more
about cool burning?
Cool Burn Workshops Coming Soon
We're currently planning our next Cool Burn workshops. Whether you're a landholder, land manager or simply interested in cool burning techniques, subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear about workshop dates, field days and other opportunities to get involved.
The Cool Burn Squad is delivered by Burnett Mary Regional Group.
This project is funded by Queensland Government’s Natural Resource Management Expansion Program.