The bushfires that began in Australia last September have killed at least 28 people, destroyed thousands of homes and burned millions of acres of land to ash.

Many people have asked whether a famous Australian tree, the eucalyptus, helped this fire, the worst in memory, to spread. The tree is also known as the gum tree.

Eucalyptus trees cover more than three-quarters of Australia's total forest area. Scientists say forests of this tree can catch fire very easily.

Eucalyptus bark hangs from the trunk and branches in such a way that fire can climb very quickly to the top of the tree. With the help of the wind, the fire can then spread to nearby trees and from there through the whole forest.

Dr Jane Cawson, an expert on vegetation fires at the University of Melbourne, said that when the bark of this tree catches fire, it can travel a long way and start a new fire somewhere else.

This process is called spotting. It can carry fire up to 30 kilometres, and it is very hard to put out. "This tree increases the intensity of the fire. In most cases that happens through spotting," Dr Cawson said.

The leaves of some eucalyptus trees contain an oil that catches fire very easily, and once alight, the oil makes them burn very quickly.

Source: BBC Bangla. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.