Cultural burning is helping restore koala habitat on Gumbaynggirr Country on the NSW North Coast.

Traditional Custodians and project partners delivered a low-intensity cultural burn at Narlu, a private property at Upper Orara, inland from Coffs Harbour.

The burn was led by Yurruungga Aboriginal Corporation as part of a broader koala habitat restoration project supported through the Australian Government's Saving Koalas Fund.

North Coast Local Land Services is working with more than 30 landholders through the project to create more habitat for koalas.

Narlu landholders Brett and Lisa Vercoe are restoring 17.5 hectares of forest on their property with support from North Coast Local Land Services.

Much of the land in the area was cleared in the past, including Lowland Subtropical Rainforest and wet and dry sclerophyll forest that once provided important habitat for koalas.

The project brings together cultural knowledge and land management practices to support healthier and more resilient landscapes across the region.

Gumbaynggirr man and Yurruungga Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Dean Thomas Kelly said the burn reflected the strength of traditional knowledge.

"This was textbook, you know, it was done perfectly," Mr Kelly said.

"It was carried out perfectly. And that's a real credit to the traditional knowledge holders here today.

"It's truthfully it's a connection to our ancestors. And it reminds us of who we are."

Cultural burning uses careful timing, local knowledge and low-intensity fire to support native plants and animals, reduce fuel loads, rejuvenate Country and strengthen biodiversity.

Gumbaynggirr man and Gumbaynggirr Guardians cultural practitioner Matthew Flanders said the burn was about sharing knowledge to restore the landscape.

"Today's end result was about coming together and sharing knowledge for a cool burn to help rejuvenate our landscape," Mr Flanders said.

"At the moment this area was just all old paddock grasslands and we want to revitalize this back into the old rainforest that it once was with these cool burns, low intensity burn.

"The idea is to keep a low heat fire going across the landscape to protect our environment, our trees, our wildlife, and this little nest here."

Mr Flanders said a grass warbler nest at the site showed why cool burns were used.

The fire had burned around the nest at low intensity, leaving it intact with only a small singe on top from dead grass.

"This is a perfect in condition, intact, with a small singe on top where there was just a bit of dead grass," Mr Flanders said.

"The nest itself is still wet, and it's a great example of why we do those cool burns. The bird itself has had a chance to escape."

The restoration work at Narlu is part of wider efforts to rebuild koala habitat across the North Coast while supporting cultural land management on Gumbaynggirr Country.