Fynbos is a fire-loving ecological system and, without fires, the bio diversity in this unique vegetation type will decrease. As fire is an important component in fynbos, this type of vegetation is well adapted to a fire regime. In the Paradise Coast development there are two different types of fynbos community that will be burnt, namely Proteoid fynbos and Limestone fynbos. The natural burning of the fynbos in this area has not occurred for many years, resulting in very old, dense vegetation that hampers bio diversity.
According to CapeNature, without fire the seeds of fynbos will not be able to germinate and the species will not be able to replace itself. The type of fire (surface or crown), fire intensity ("hot" or "cool"), the season and frequency at which the veld is burnt are important. CapeNature explains that cool fires have a negative effect on large seeded, ant-dispersed species such as Leucospermum sp. that require high intensity fires to stimulate the seed germination.
CapeNature states that, ideally, natural burning of fynbos should occur during late February or March under hot, dry and windy conditions. Taking fire safety into account, a burning permit is only likely to be issued when the long-term weather prediction is not for hot, dry and windy conditions. The area will, however, be burnt in a fashion that will achieve the closest possible replication of a natural burn.
The area will be burnt under 24-hour supervision over a period of three to four days by fully trained and equipped fire managers and their staff, with all the required water and safety equipment on site. The south western section of the estate south of Flora Road will be burnt this year. The burning will be implemented in a manner to allow for natural wildlife to migrate to areas that will not be burnt and special care will be taken to ensure their safety.
After this prescribed burning, the follow-up removal of alien invasive plant seedlings will continue in order to eventually totally remove the alien invasive Rooikrans, Long Leaf Wattle, Spidergum and Black Wattle from the conservation areas of the property - species that are currently smothering the natural vegetation and are severely restricting the bio diversity of the site.
The vegetation will be monitored both before the fire and after, so that research into the effect of fire on this specific fynbos can be further examined.
Any specific fire-related questions should be addressed to the Fire Manager at pcfire815@gmail.com
- Mossel Bay Advertiser
No comments:
Post a Comment