It takes years of accumulated undergrowth before bushfires become a serious threat. There also needs to be an accumulation of leaf litter firstly and that could take anywhere between 10 and 15 years in areas recently recovering from our last bush fire season. Otherwise, should a fire occur with very little leaf litter coverage the chance of these ground cover fires igniting the foliage of Eucalyptus species is virtually a non event. That is why hazard reduction burning in areas where leaf litter has begun accumulating is necessary. This is of particular importance where Eucalypt forests are close to populated areas, eg., Blue Mountains and the more leafy suburbs of Sydney.
