Summary
- Grassland curing describes how dry grass is, which affects how grassfires start and spread
- CFA gathers weekly curing observations from volunteers across Victoria during fire season
- These observations help build a picture of grassfire risk and support fire danger assessments
- Community members can become observers to report grassland curing in their local area
Most grass species possess a life cycle where they annually dry out and die or become dormant. This process is referred to as curing and is an important factor in fire behaviour prediction as the amount of dead material in a grassland can have a dramatic effect on the fire danger.
Current Grassland Curing Map
(For the latest weekly map you may need to refresh the page or clear your cache.*)
Download image: GIF | JPEG | PNG | PDF | KMZ (image sizes may vary)
Historical Grassland Curing Maps
What's involved in becoming an observer
Grassland curing information is critical for CFA to analyse grassfire risk. The observation network consists of over 150 volunteers, and CFA is seeking more observers across the state.
All that is required is that you can spend 15 minutes each week to observe and report on grassland curing at your field site. A quick online, self-paced training course on CFA Learning Management System will provide you with all you need to take consistent and repeatable observations. You will need to log into LMS with your CFA Online details or register as a new user.
What you need to do:
- First, explore the videos and infographic on this page. Some of these also are part of the training package.
- When you are ready, complete the course on the CFA Learning Management System (click the button below). It takes approximately 30 minutes, self-paced). PC and tablet devices are recommended to complete the course.
- At the end of the module, click on Want to Become an Observer to register.
- Select a grassland curing site where you will take your observations and email grassland@cfa.vic.gov.au the details of the site to be added to the system. Or, you can enter your observation site in the grassland curing app when you first log in.
- Commence your weekly observations! It is that easy!
Documents
- Grassland Curing Guide (PDF 2.5MB)
Citation: CFA (2014) Grassland Curing Guide, Country Fire Authority, Victoria, Australia.
- Grassland Curing Field Card (PDF 5.2MB)
Citation: CFA (2020) CFA Grassland Curing Field Card, July 2020, Country Fire Authority, Victoria, Australia.
- Fuel Hazard Assessment Guide (3.5MB)
Citation: Hines F, Tolhurst KG, Wilson AA, McCarthy GJ (2010) Overall fuel hazard assessment guide, 4th Edition. Fire and adaptive management, report no. 82, Department of Sustainability and Environment, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Printing documents: Not all printers are the same. When making assessments by comparing grassland against reference photos, it is important to use a standard reference guide. To order the field card or field guide, please contact us with your name, address and phone number.
Email: grassland@cfa.vic.gov.au
Videos
* Guide for clearing cache:
- Chrome, Firefox, or Edge for Windows: Press Ctrl+F5 (If that doesn’t work, try Shift+F5 or Ctrl+Shift+R)
- Chrome or Firefox for Mac: Press Shift+Command+R.
- Safari for Mac: There is no simple keyboard shortcut to force a hard refresh. Instead, press Command+Option+E to empty the cache, then hold down Shift and click Reload in the toolbar.
- Safari for iPhone and iPad: There is no shortcut to force a cache refresh. You’ll have to dig into settings to erase your browser’s cache.
Page last updated: Wednesday, 2 September 2026 11:56:07 AM