Calling for local knowledge

Cape York NRM is keen to talk to land managers about the way their fire planning and regimes are making an impact.

“We greatly value the knowledge that already exists across Cape York Peninsula, and would like to engage with all land management sectors to hear experiences, the causes and effects of fire regimes, how vegetation is affected and the impacts, both positive and negative, on land management operations,” Fire Coordinator Andrew Drenen said. 

“We are calling and emailing properties and inviting them to take part in a review of how woody thickening is managed with fire, observe how before and after operations compare, and even impacts on carbon farming methodologies.”

The review is part of the Woody Thickening project, coordinated by Cape York NRM through funding from the  Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Recovery Program (NRRP) which has the overall aim of improving the ability to respond to natural disasters and climate change.

“The main objective of the project is to develop a guide on the practical use of fire to control woody thickening, if, indeed, it needs to be controlled,” Andrew said. 

Woody thickening is when the density of trees and woody shrubs is increasing and choking out native grasslands to the possible detriment of pastoral production as well as the biodiversity of the country. 

“There is a lot of interest and knowledge on the Cape about fire management, and the more we can harness that knowledge, the better we can protect this region,” Andrew said. 

If you want to contribute to the project, contract our Fire Coordinator Andrew Drenen on: 

Andrew.drenen@capeyorknrm.com.au 

or phone: 0419 148 426

The Project - Supporting Cape York Peninsula Landholders to Improve Vegetation Condition through Management of Woody Thickening using Integrated Fire Regimes - (Woody Thickening Project), is funded by the Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Regional Recovery Program. (NRRP)