Australia has a long history of bushfires. But several factors make eastern Australia’s recent crisis different to infamous bushfires in the past.

While parts of Australia are now beginning to rebuild after devastating bushfires, an inevitable part of that is clearing the debris, including ash and fallen trees - but scientists are warning people not to be over-zealous in that work.

Experts are pleading for leaders to look at the science and not make kneejerk decisions when it comes to managing fuel loads for bushfire risk. Professor David Lindenmayer gave his thought to the ABC's PM program.

For two weeks over the holiday period, Canberra has had some of the world's worst recorded air quality due to bushfire smoke. Former meteorologist and honorary lecturer Dr Clem Davis told the ABC that hot air acts like a lid and traps everything below the inversion, and the pollution is stuck.

Climate Scientist Dr Joëlle Gergis asks if Earth system has now breached a tipping point in this opinion piece in The Guardian.

As an uncontrollable wildfire took hold in Tallaganda National Park last month, it was soon apparent to ecologists that this was an unprecedented natural disaster. Associate Professor Philip Gibbons says the we gullies in the forest are home to ancient creatures whose habitat is becoming increasingly hard to find in Australia.