Most of Australia's vegetation has developed characteristics which help the spread of fire. These include:
- Eucalypt litter is rough and decomposes slowly, guaranteeing that later, in several years, there will be a copious accumulation of litter to fuel the next fire, as shown in Figure 3.
- The bark of many tree-types is highly flammable and loose, optimal firebrands to cear fire across natural obstacles.
- The green leaves consists of highly flammable oils and resins that react as a catalyst to increase combustion before the leaves are completely dry. (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, 2008)