While indigenous Australians are the masters of the technique, similar methods were employed for similar reasons in North America, where it was also combined with swidden (slash-and-burn) agriculture. While some areas were burned in preparation for farming, other areas would be burned in order to manipulate the ecology of the area, ensuring that certain fire-intolerant species didn't take over the area. Maples and beeches have their uses, but so do fire-tolerant species like oaks. Fire also created more open and edge habitat, which attracts a diversity of idle prey species (especially deer) and makes it easier to travel across the landscape.

Is Fire-stick Farming somehow different from slash and burn farming, or is it just a term used for it in Australia?