KNYSNA NEWS - Brush cutting, herbicide distribution and the removal of alien invasive plant species all form part of the construction of fire breaks at various locations between the Greater Knysna and Bitou areas, which are still in progress more than a year after the fires of June 2017.
A fire break is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire.
Aerial footage of the Knysna Heads clearly show large clearings where fire breaks have been created, and even more clearings can be seen surrounding areas such as Dam-Se-Bos, Concordia, Hunters Home, Rexford and Cola Beach in Sedgefield, to name a few.
“We are in the process of finalising the construction of more fire breaks around Hornlee,” says Southern Cape Fire Protection Association (SCFPA) area manager Dirk Smit. The SCFPA is the appointed implementing agency responsible for the project to reduce risks to communities in the event of wildfires.
Ongoing project
“We conducted a risk assessment and looked at areas which became vulnerable following the fires of last year, and in August 2017 began with this project. It is an ongoing project and largely dependent on funding as we are an NGO,” explains Smit. The SCFPA is currently utilising funds contributed by the business community.
“We still have a lot of work to do and hope to secure more funds in the coming months,” he says.
Of particular concern are alien invasive species on private properties. These are difficult to get to as some property owners do not live in Knysna and only visit during the holiday periods.
“We encourage the removal of alien invasive species as soon as they begin sprouting, as it becomes much more difficult when it has been growing for a while. We also distribute herbicides to communities in vulnerable areas,” says Smit. He adds that they conduct a "brush cut" as they are not allowed to remove topsoil, according to environmental regulations.
Limited resources
The project is managed by Paul Buchholz who overlooks a team of 25 people, and it will continue for several months to come.
An aerial photograph taken of the Heads shows the fire break (clearing) constructed by the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association. Photo: Supplied
Buchholz echoes that they have very limited financial and human resources to address massive environmental challenges facing communities after the fire. “The effective control of invasive alien plants coming up after the fire will require a huge financial investment. The challenge facing us in terms of post-fire invasive alien plants will require all stakeholders taking hands to tackle the problem,” he says.
Some statistics of the project thus far include:
- A 70m fire break was created around the Dam-se-Bos community.
- A 450m fire break is currently being created around the Hornlee and Fishershaven communities.
- About 10ha of invasive alien plants were controlled.
- About 35km of fibre rolls were installed to mitigate post-fire soil erosion.
Buchholz concludes stating that the fibre rolls and blankets are made out of invasive alien plant fibres and were supplied by the department of environmental affairs' natural resource management directorate.
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