Recent field measurements show that modelled emissions from wild and prescribed fires for south-eastern Australia are likely conservative estimates. Reported emission estimates based on mass loss from fine fuels such as litter and small branches disregard the impact of fire on other fuels such as deadwood and understorey vegetation. In January 2013 a severe wildfire near Aberfeldy, Victoria stopped at the boundaries of a prescribed burnt area where all fuels had been sampled prior to and after burning in October 2012. We used this opportunity to establish study sites in wildfire affected areas and to sample remaining fuels and estimate emissions based on fuel loads and consumption. Here we compare impact of high intensity wildfire and low intensity prescribed burns in the same forest type and discuss if carbon emission from prescribed burning can mitigate emission from wildfires.