Application of NDVI for predicting fuel curing at landscape scales in northern Australia: can remotely sensed data help schedule fire management operations?

The success of early dry season burning programs in tropical savannas of northern Australia could be improved with timely information on curing state of fuel loads. Variable characteristics of each wet season, the onset of the dry season, and variations of fuel loads within major landscape types affect the annual cycle of curing. Significant relationships were derived between ground-based visual estimates of curing, and estimates of relative greenness derived from NDVI images from NOAA AVHRR and SPOT Vegetation satellite sensors. There were distinct differences between soil types (red v . black) and seasons (1999 v . 2000). The next stage is to test if relationships are robust enough to be used operationally to schedule aerial control burning operations in remote, inaccessible and sparsely unpopulated areas.