Bushfires 99: Flammable Australia is a national conference of bushfire experts, ranging from firefighters, national park managers and meteorologists to wildlife researchers, ecologists and social scientists.

Organised by Charles Sturt University's School of Environmental and Information Sciences and The Johnstone Centre, CSIRO and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, national and international delegates will speak on many subjects related to bushfires and their influences on people and nature. International researchers from Brazil, NZ, Canada, South Africa, Turkey and USA will join over 250 colleagues from all Australian states and territories for the meeting.

Sixty papers will be presented at the conference on topics such as:

• the effects of pre-historic fires in Australia on the evolution of its plants and animals (major presentation - Dr James Clark, from Duke University, North Carolina, USA);
• simulating the effects of bushfires on natural landscapes using computer programs (Professor David Green, CSU);
• the role of fires on native grasslands in the lowlands of Southeast Australia (Dr Ian Lunt, CSU); and
• the use of the Australian grass-tree to record the timing of bushfires and help improve fire management for regenerating bushland (Dr Bryan Lamont, Curtin University of Technology, WA).

Bushfires 99 runs from Wednesday 7 to Friday 9 July in the Albury Convention and Performing Arts Centre, Swift St, Albury.

The conference is sponsored by various government and private organisations, including the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmanian National Park Service, Australian Fire Authorities Council, Forestry Tasmania and the CSIRO Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research.