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We present the new FLAMES computer simulation model of vegetation dynamics in north Australia and use it to examine the impacts of various fire regimes and historical rainfall patterns on tree density in a north Australian savanna. We show that frequent late dry season fires can greatly reduce tree densities, but only if they are fronting rather than point sourced fires. Our model assumes idealised patterns of fire spread under these two scenarios, but the actual spatial variation in fire spread is poorly docmented in north Australia. The pattern of fire spread is shown to be a crucial issue in understanding woody vegetation dynamics and needs further research if the impacts of management are to be reliably simulated.