Source:[2] Forest policies covered by the Forests Department involved the following management objectives: The department had also several tree nurseries to help with these objectives in Hamel, Manjimup, Narrogin, Broome and Karratha for a total seedling production of 7 307 000 in 1985.

The total forestry resourcesavilable for the suppression operations on the day of cyclone Alby was [...]: 15 professional officers, 106 field officers of various ranks from District Foresters to Forest Guards, all fire-trained, 40 clerical staff, who could fill roles in fire administration, 46 overseers, 350 members of fire crews, 41 mechanics, also all fire-trained, or able to play supporting roles in a fire, 16 professional officers in the Research or Inventory Branches, mostly fire-trained, 48 technical officers in Research or Inventory, all capable of filling roles in a fire situation.

Some of the most severe West Australian wildfires, in chronological order, that the department had to suppress: Earlier forms of forest management in Western Australia were under:[6] Around 1968, The Forests Department then was in full control of its destiny as mentioned[7] by a former forester and General Manager of Department of Conservation and Land Management: "We were more akin to an old Army regiment, with our regimental headquarters in Perth and our divisional centres in the field, our long traditions and powerful culture.

Back then, the Forests Department was largely independent of Treasury (our revenue came from royalties from timber cut on State Forest), we recruited and trained our own field staff, had our own gangs of forest workmen, purchased and maintained our own vehicles, fabricated our own fire equipment, made our own maps, had our own private telephone system which spanned the entire South West, and even had our own settlements, complete with streets of houses and blocks of single men's hut."

This included pumpers and tankers and other equipment relating to operations involving fire spotting and firefighting.