It is now routine practice in mine-site rehabilitation to smoke seed prior to direct sowing or to use dissolved particulate smoke in the treatment of overburden replaced following stripping from mine sites. Much of the detailed research into the effect of smoke on germination has come from California and South Africa and more recently through Kings Park Botanical Gardens, Perth, where research team has had considerable success in isolating the chemicals thought responsible for processes leading to the breaking of dormancy. Greening Australia's Melbourne Indigenous Seedbank with the assistance of community groups and indigenous nurseries undertook to screen a cross section of Victorian species to determine their response to various smoke products. Many practitioners gathered for smoking days, bringing seed for testing and reporting their results and observations. Fire ecology has been recognised for some decades.
Fire is a natural occurrence and adaptive responses to fire are evident in many Australian species.
Controlled burning is a common tool in natural resource management. Plant propagators recognise the role of heat and routinely apply heat scalding to hard-seeded species such as acacias and many peas, replicating the fire. Banksia normally requires a burst of heat to release its seed from capsules. This can be achieved by placing seeds in an oven for a set period or setting alight paper or other dry material under them. The role of chemicals released by fire and whether they stimulate germination is also being examined.