Mat Dalby, Denmark Bulletin
More than 120 people rallied in Denmark on Saturday, calling on the State Government to halt a planned summer prescribed burn in the Walpole–Nornalup National Park.
The rally of people from Walpole, Denmark and across the Great Southern followed days of escalating concern of the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attraction’s plans threatening the last remaining ancient red tingle forest.
DBCA plans to ignite remaining unburnt forest within the Giants West burn area, known as FRK_116, near the Gatekeepers Trail on the Giants Mountain Bike Trail network.
Tingle Action Group spokesperson Via Stidwell said the forest was globally unique and deserving of recognition.
“Once these ancient trees are lost, they cannot be replaced,” she said.
Ms Stidwell said the planned burn placed rare and irreplaceable ecosystems at unacceptable risk.
“This really is a dangerous and unnecessary operation.”
Burn ‘low on protection, big on cost’
“It won’t provide any significant additional protection and could come at an enormous and unacceptable cost.”
The burn area contains rare old-growth red tingle–karri forest, threatened ecological communities and cultural heritage sites.
At particular risk, is an exceptionally rare giant old-growth red tingle estimated to be more than 400 years old and about 5m in diameter.
“This tree is an extraordinary living giant and an outstanding example of WA’s rare, endemic and threatened tingle forest ecosystems,” Ms Stidwell said. “There is no doubt it warrants immediate protection.”
In addition to Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn, residents have most recently requested Heritage Minister Simone McGurk use emergency powers under the WA Heritage Act to issue a stop-work order and begin the process of heritage listing.
“Under the Act, the Minister may issue urgent protection orders to prevent imminent damage,” Ms Stidwell said.
Community concern has intensified following a late-2025 prescribed burn in the same area.
“The original burn did a lot of damage,” Ms Stidwell said. “We saw canopy crown scorch across the majority of trees, fallen habitat trees and areas that reignited days later.”
Ms Stidwell said burning fire-sensitive tingle forest in summer defied logic.
“Now, at the peak of the summer wildfire season, DBCA is proposing to go back and light the remaining tingle forest.
“We are questioning why firefighting resources are being used to light fires rather than fight wildfires.”
Ms Stidwell said the Denmark rally reflected growing frustration that warnings continued to be ignored.
“We are calling on the WA Government to immediately halt the planned burn, grant emergency heritage protection to the giant old-growth red tingle tree, and prioritise summer firefighting capacity over prescribed burning,” she said.
See all the photos in the issue.
This article appeared in Denmark Bulletin, 15 January 2026.
