In Australia, forest thinning is a controversial fire management strategy employed after the devastating 2019-2020 bushfires. This involves selectively removing trees to reduce forest density, aiming to lower fuel loads and control fire behavior. Proponents argue thinning protects towns by reducing wildfire severity, especially with prescribed burning, creating strategic breaks to slow fire spread, giving firefighters a better chance to contain them and reducing the available fuel, fires will burn less intensely and be easier to manage.