On 29 April, Node Partner NQ Dry Tropics held a fire workshop in Townsville that brought together researchers, fire experts, Traditional Owners, and landholders. The focus was on learning how to work together to better manage bushfires and protect communities, wildlife, and the landscape.

The workshop featured practical tools and new research, including:

• North Australian Fire Information (NAFI) – a online tool that shows real-time fire activity using satellite maps and provides information about fire history across northern Australia.
• Savanna Monitoring and Evaluation Reporting Framework (SMERF) – another online tool that helps people generate easy-to-read reports on how fire affects their property or region.
• Cultural fire practices – part of NQ Dry Tropics’ Cultural Fire Project, showing how cultural burning can help manage weeds, support native grasses, and improve grazing land.
• The role of invasive grasses – learning how some introduced grasses make fires hotter and more damaging, putting native plants and animals at risk.
• New carbon farming options – including methods designed specifically to create more opportunities for Indigenous land managers.