During the month of March 2015, the Cape Peninsula was ravaged by some of the worst wildfires in recent years. Thousands of hectares of fynbos and indigenous vegetation burned, hundreds of people were evacuated, and the Mother City reached its highest recorded temperature in the past century.
Lesser known than the Cape Town fires was the fire that raged near Platbos Forest, the southern-most indigenous forest in Africa, just 2.5 hours drive from Cape Town in the Overberg region between Stanford and Gansbaai.
Melissa Krige (who lives in and manages Platbos Forest Reserve) writes about this dangerous fire in her newsletter:
Says Melissa, “Tuesday, 3rd of March 2015, was the day we dreaded yet knew must come. It was the hottest day recorded in one hundred years, and as I drove into Gansbaai to do my weekly errands, I thought: there is only one word for this heat: combustion. Not shortly after this thought, I received several calls from friends and neighbours: have you seen the fire on the edge of Platbos?
The fire was burning in a neighbouring property adjoining the forest – lands festering with a dense mix of combustible alien trees: rooi krans, spider gum and myrtle…
The fire raged through the nearby alien trees … and, in the end, about 1000 square metres of indigenous forest was burnt and some beautiful old trees destroyed.
Whilst fires are required to regenerate the Fynbos, this is not the case for the small patches of surviving indigenous forests in the Western Cape. Alien vegetation burns far more fiercely than Fynbos and as long as they surround the indigenous forest, the fire risk remains. Our primary focus now is to fire-break the whole perimeter of Platbos.
Climate change, neighbouring properties that are alien-infested, hotter summers and drier winters mean that Platbos Forest is seriously at risk.”
The fire was a sign for all of us invested in Platbos Forest, that we need to keep focussed on protecting this unique forest gem of the Western Cape – some of the indigenous trees in Platbos are over 1000 years old and the forest is extremely important for the area. Melissa and Francois Krige, who manage the forest, are collecting fire fighting equipment for future fire threats, looking to cut further firebreaks and clear more alien trees away from the forest edges.
Like many natural forests around the world, parts of Platbos have been cleared in the past century for cultivation. This means that the trees that would naturally grow there have been cut down. Today, many of these cleared areas are being taken over by dense invasive alien vegetation, which makes it difficult for the indigenous trees to grow back and, as seen in March 2015, this poses a serious fire risk to the whole forest.
Join Greenpop and Platbos to plant 8000 new indigenous trees this May at the annual Reforest Fests. To date (over the past 4 years), we have planted just over 18 000 trees and this year, the Greenpop team and festival goers hope to add a further 8000 trees to this precious eco-system. In all, over 22 000 trees have been planted at Platbos since the Kriges initiated the Platbos Reforestation Project in 2008.
Find out more about the Reforest Festivals below:
Reforest Family Fest (8 to 10 May) – http://www.greenpop.org/get-involved/tell-a-friend/platbos-reforest-family-fest/
Reforest Friends Fest (15 to 17 May) – http://www.greenpop.org/get-involved/tell-a-friend/platbos-reforest-friends-fest/
