From the summary ... 'There is a lack of data to support conclusively any theory concerning natural fire periodicity in the karri forest region of Western Australia. However, the capacity of karri to regenerate after fire and the presence of dense understorey vegetation at the time of the first explorers suggest that prior to European settlement the forests were subject to both rare catastrophic fires and irregular milder fires caused either by lighting strikes or resulting from peripheral burning carried out by Aborigines.'