Supporting Cape York Peninsula’s land managers dealing with woody thickening

Published by Cape York NRM, Corporate Carbon was pleased to contribute to a new local landowner guide to understanding and managing woody thickening.

Woody thickening refers to the excessive growth of certain plant species which can hinder natural ecosystems, impact land productivity, and affect biodiversity. It has affected the peninsula since the introduction of cattle, and has intensified in recent decades, creating problems for land managers.

Aiming to clarify its causes, and how it can be managed using fire, the guide hears from a variety of perspectives including individual landowners, and fire practitioners. Our input was framed around carbon projects, which reward proper land management, including preventing woody thickening on grasslands.

“The fire regime is the main determinant as to whether you have a healthy open grassland or woody thickening,” explained Corporate Carbon’s spokesperson. “Land managers should use the fire regime that’s appropriate for the place … while savanna fire management carbon projects tend to facilitate the growth of biomass, many ecosystems are ineligible for carbon farming because early dry season burns have no place.”