As Australia's bushfire emergency rages on, discussion over fire authorities' potential use of Indigenous and cultural fire practices has come under the spotlight.

But what are these practices? Where can they be implemented? And how can they help?

Key points: Indigenous leaders say there has been "huge interest" from farmers, landowners and communities wanting to learn about traditional burning

Indigenous leaders say there has been "huge interest" from farmers, landowners and communities wanting to learn about traditional burning Cultural burning generally uses smaller, more controlled flames than hazard reduction burns, and has more applications than just reducing fuel load

Cultural burning generally uses smaller, more controlled flames than hazard reduction burns, and has more applications than just reducing fuel load Experts in the practice say much more investment in training is needed before cultural burning can be adopted in mainstream fire management plans

Oliver Costello, from Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation — a leader in the field — said traditional fire practitioners already worked alongside some state fire agencies to conduct burns — but on a "relatively small-scale".

His organisation conducts cultural burning workshops across Australia with fire authorities, rangers, land councils, and property owners — and according to him, uptake has increased each year.

He said in the aftermath of this summer's bushfire crisis there had been "huge interest" from farmers, landowners and communities wanting to learn about traditional burning and how it could help.

"People are looking for solutions," he said.

"And they are turning back to land management techniques used for tens of thousands of years in this country."

Mr Costello said cultural burning created a "fire-resilient" landscape and helped benefit native wildlife. ( ABC News: Supplied )

One of them is Victoria's former emergency management commissioner Craig Lapsley.

Mr Lapsley, who resigned from the post in 2018, said the practice had "a lot of benefits".

The former CFA deputy chief officer is calling on the Federal Government to implement a national Indigenous burning program.

"It doesn't need pilots," he said.

"It needs [funding, action] and implementation."

So, how does it work?

Cultural burning generally uses small, cool, controlled flames, but there's no set formula for every burn, according to Mr Costello.

Local knowledge from traditional custodians guides how practitioners use fire: the size, shape, direction and duration of the burn.

"We look at habitat, look the vegetation, we look at the soil type, we look at the moisture levels, that determines how we burn, how hot we burn," he said.

"We might see vegetation we know shouldn't be there, and we'll go hotter in that one spot.

"There might be weeds or invasive natives that need to be removed from that country."

One of the burns carried out by Mr Costello's group. ( ABC News: Supplied )

Ideally, a cultural burn helps prevent fire risks, rejuvenate local flora, protect native animal habitat, all while restoring the kinship to the land, he said.

It can also help make more "fire-resilient" landscapes as well as benefit native wildlife.

He said they were led by the authority of the traditional custodians, but burns were mostly carried out in cooler times, like autumn, winter and spring.

"In spring you've got a lot of mating, nesting, new plant growth we need to be extra careful about then," he said.

"You can burn all year round in some way, but you are very careful about what you're doing."

How is it different from regular hazard reduction burns?

According to Mr Costello, hazard reduction burns, conducted by state-based fire authorities, are generally focused on reducing fuel load or types of debris and vegetation that can feed a fire.

Oliver Costello said more investment was needed for cultural burning to become part mainstream fire management. ( ABC News: Supplied )

He said this approach focused on preventing property loss but could often be a "blunt instrument".

"It's just so focused on fuel reduction," he said.

"I've seen a lot of hazard reduction that isn't appropriate for that area.

"It can be way too hot; it can scorch areas that shouldn't be burned, [but] some isn't too off the mark."

Can it be used everywhere?

Mr Costello wants to see the practice used all over the country.

"We want to uphold our cultural lore, we want to make our sick country healthy," he said.

For Mr Lapsley, who led the emergency management response after the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires, there needs to be a national uptake of these practices.

Craig Lapsley said although he encouraged the use of Indigenous practices, it was no "silver bullet". ( AAP: Ellen Smith )

"It has got to come to the front of the discussion, it hasn't been widely used, a lot of people hear about it but don't understand it," he said.

He said he had witnessed cultural burning in practice, and had seen the benefits up close in different locations around Victoria.

"It's got environmental outcomes, it's got conservation outcomes, it's got community values, it's fantastic."

"It needs federal support and state implementation."

'No silver bullet'

When it comes to land management and fire management, Mr Lapsley said cultural burning was one of the methods.

"[But] there's not one silver bullet," he said.

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Few Aboriginal fire experts are able to use their craft on country, due to current fire management policies and a lack of resourcing.

Cultural burners often need a number of local and state approvals, and usually can only access certain areas.

Much more investment would be needed to adopt cultural burning as part of mainstream fire-management plans, Mr Costello said.

"Most of the Aboriginal communities we work with do not have the resources to support their people to manage their land full-time, so that's a big problem," Mr Costello said.

"We need a three or four-year training program [and] we need investment from whoever wants to see this country healthy again.

"We can work together, there is a pathway here for everybody."