i Contents Contents ....................................................................................................................................... i Table of Figures ........................................................................................................................... ii Disclaimer & Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ v 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................ i 2. PLACE: Congress Lands & Hopevale Township ..................................................................1 2.1 Climate ........................................................................................................................6 2.2 Weather Tools .............................................................................................................7 Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) ................................................................................8 Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) ........................................................8 Forest Fire Danger Index ............................................................................................9 2.3 Topography & Landscape ........................................................................................ 11 2.4 Cultural Resources (Tourism & Sites) ...................................................................... 15 2.5 Vegetation Description of Congress Lands ............................................................. 16 2.6 Fire History ............................................................................................................... 20 2.7 North Australian Fire Information (NAFI) Fire Scars 2005 – 2015 ........................... 28 2.8 Cyclones & Fire ........................................................................................................ 33 2.9 NAFI Fire Scar Areas Analysis 2000 - 2015 ............................................................ 34 2.10 Carbon Abatement Potential .................................................................................... 37 Bruce Wannan’s CFI vegetation class areas ........................................................... 37 SavBAT generated woodland and heath areas ....................................................... 37 SavBAT generated woodland areas only ................................................................. 37 3. PURPOSE: Congress Fire Management Objectives & CYP Strategies ............................ 39 3.1 Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy – Fire Report .......................................... 39 3.2 National Parks Planned Burn Guidelines ................................................................. 40 3.3 Cape York Peninsula Fire Management Guidelines ................................................ 44 3.5 Cape York Sustainable Futures Fire Management Strategy ................................... 53 3.6 Hopevale Aboriginal Shire Council Documents ....................................................... 55 HVASC Shire Planning Scheme 2014 ..................................................................... 55 HVASC Local Disaster Management Plan 2013 ..................................................... 63 3.7 Queensland Legislation Relating to Fire Operations ............................................... 64 4. PEOPLE: Resources Available .......................................................................................... 67 4.1 Congress Rangers ................................................................................................... 67 4.2 Other Volunteers ...................................................................................................... 68 4.3 Congress Fire Equipment Preparedness ................................................................. 68 4.4 CEO Responsibilities ............................................................................................... 69 4.5 Ranger Responsibilities ........................................................................................... 69 4.6 Hopevale Ranger Coordinator/Senior Ranger Responsibilities ............................... 69 4.7 Fire Management Operational Folders .................................................................... 70 4.8 Training Requirements ............................................................................................. 71 5. PLAN: Fire Operational Boundaries (Sectors) and Fire Management Intent Zones (Regimes) - Bringing It All Together ................................................................................... 72 5.1 Fire Management Zoning ......................................................................................... 72 5.2 Fire Operational Boundaries (Sectors) .................................................................... 73 5.3 Fire Management Intent Zones A - E ....................................................................... 73 6. STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PLAN IMPLEMENTATION ............................ 80 6.1 Commence Prescribed Burning Regime .................................................................. 80 6.2 Further Training for Hopevale Rangers ................................................................... 80 6.3 Construct Hopevale Fire Trail .................................................................................. 80 6.4 Community Consultation .......................................................................................... 80 6.5 Wildfire Risk Assessments for Congress Blockholders ........................................... 80 6.6 Establish Fire & Biodiversity Monitoring Plots.......................................................... 80 6.7 Produce Hopevale Rangers Fire Field Guide .......................................................... 81 Website Resources .................................................................................................................. 82 Congress Fire Management Plan – Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation ii Table of Figures Figure 1: Traditional Guugu Yimithirr Seasonal Calendar ___________________________________ 3 Figure 2: Congress boundary, blockholders, roads, tracks, watercourses & mine lease area _______ 4 Figure 3: Congress Lands property - Lot 35 on Plan SP 232620 _____________________________ 5 Figure 4: BoM Monthly Rainfall Data Summary Statistics - Cape Flattery Silica Mine post 1975 ____ 6 Figure 5: BoM Monthly Rainfall Data Summary Statistics - Hopevale post 1951 _________________ 6 Figure 6: Mean Monthly Maximum Temperatures (C) - Cape Flattery _________________________ 6 Figure 7: Mean Monthly Minimum Temperatures (C) - Cape Flattery _________________________ 6 Figure 8: Variation in climate over CYP affects fire behaviour between four sub-regions __________ 7 Figure 9: NDVI Map for Queensland April 2016 __________________________________________ 9 Figure 10: McArthur Forest Fire Danger Meter Mark 5 is an important fire management tool ______ 10 Figure 11: Hopevale Congress 1:250,000 Topographic Map _______________________________ 12 Figure 12: Hopevale Congress 1:100,000 Topographic Map _______________________________ 13 Figure 13: Hopevale Congress Digital Elevation Model showing clear landscape-scale features ___ 14 Figure 14: Identified Cultural & Fire Sensitive Places in Congress Lands _____________________ 15 Figure 15: National Parks Fire Vegetation Groups for Congress Lands _______________________ 18 Figure 16: Indicative CFI Vegetation Classes for Congress Lands (Bruce Wannan DNRM) _______ 19 Figure 17: SavBAT automated vegetation classes for Congress Lands _______________________ 20 Figure 18: Fire Frequency for Congress Lands 2000 - 2015 _______________________________ 22 Figure 19: Late Dry Season (after 1 August) Fire Frequency for Congress Lands 2000 – 2015 ____ 23 Figure 20: Year Last Burnt for Congress Lands 2000 - 2015 _______________________________ 24 Figure 21: Year Last Burnt for Congress Lands (NAFI) ___________________________________ 25 Figure 22: Late Dry Season (post 1 August) Fire Frequency in Congress Lands 2006 - 2015 _____ 26 Figure 23: Early Dry Season (pre 1 August) Fire Frequency in Congress Lands 2006 - 2015 _____ 27 Figure 24: 2005 NAFI Map _________________________________________________________ 28 Figure 25: 2006 NAFI Map _________________________________________________________ 28 Figure 26: 2007 NAFI Map _________________________________________________________ 29 Figure 27: 2008 NAFI Map _________________________________________________________ 29 Figure 28: 2009 NAFI Map _________________________________________________________ 30 Figure 29: 2010 NAFI Map _________________________________________________________ 30 Figure 30: 2011 NAFI Map _________________________________________________________ 31 Figure 31: 2012 NAFI Map _________________________________________________________ 31 Figure 32: 2013 NAFI Map _________________________________________________________ 32 Figure 33: 2014 NAFI Map _________________________________________________________ 32 Figure 34: 2015 NAFI Map _________________________________________________________ 33 Figure 35: Map showing area highlighted for NAFI Fire Scar Areas Analysis 2000 - 2015 ________ 34 Figure 36: Average Monthly Burnt Areas 2000 – 201 _____________________________________ 34 Figure 37: Fire Scar Area (sq km) by Year _____________________________________________ 35 Figure 38: Year Last Burnt