#FirstNations #Australia 800 years prior to British colonization in 1788, the Indigenous Gunaikurnai people maintained stable, open eucalypt woodlands across southeastern Australia using frequent, low-temperature “cool” burning analyzed sediment cores from Purghagoolah in the East Gippsland region of southeastern Australia & found tree cover averaged roughly 10% under Indigenous stewardship. High-temperature crown fires and severe soil erosion were virtually nonexistent https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/a-millennium-of-evidence-reveals-colonial-roots-of-australias-wildfire-vulnerability/