In the Western Cape, fire is often seen as a threat.
But sometimes planned burns are an opportunity. In the Amandel Rivier area, in the mountains between Villiersdorp and Franschhoek, it’s hoped that a two-phase controlled burn, planned to take place in December 2024 and March 2025, will help both people and nature – through a carefully planned project including multiple players.
It’s not surprising that controlled burns are often feared. There are many risks associated with these burns. Perhaps the greatest concern is the lack of understanding of controlled burns. Fire is seen as a destructive act. And yet in the Fynbos Biome a largely fire–driven system, well-planned fires can stimulate new life and growth.
There are also other worries regarding fire. Burns are planned for a set day, but weather conditions could make them unpredictable, and increase the risks of the fire getting out of control. And should that happen, it raises the question around liability, insurance implications and leadership or organisational blame.
Controlled burns can also be expensive and need considerable resources and a well-trained team. And they often need multiple organisations and individuals to work together during the planning and implementation of the controlled burn.
In the Western Cape, one of the biggest concerns is the invasion and regrowth of invasive alien plants after the fire. They grow quickly, and then become a veldfire threat. Invasive pines are one of the most rapidly spreading of all the invasive species with the high winds of the Western Cape carrying the specially adapted winged seeds for many kilometres. Adult (cone bearing) pines also release their seeds after a fire (much like some fynbos species).
The challenge is the cost of clearing invasive alien plants manually with hand tools, chainsaws and brush cutters, especially in the catchments. The timing of a prescribed burn in the natural fynbos cycle, but also in relation to the reproductive stage of the pines, offers a unique opportunity to use fire to eradicate young pines that have not already set seed. Depending on fire intensity, these burns can also kill large cone–bearing adult trees at a fraction of the cost of clearing manually. Follow-up invasive clearing after the burn is, however, critical – including the pines that did not burn in the fire, as well as clearing the germinating seeds after the fire.
That’s why planning is key, so that fire is used as a tool to remove invasive plants, and steps are then taken to remove the invasive plants that germinate after the fire.
The Amandel Rivier controlled burn aims to become a test case to answer many of the questions raised around the value of controlled burns, when it’s undertaken responsibly.
A successful burn will enhance water security, restore the degraded fynbos and catchments that provide water to Cape Town and surrounding municipalities and reduce veldfire risks. At the same time, the fire will foster collaboration among stakeholders from across the region, who are working closely together to plan every step of the burn. These include CapeNature, the custodian of the land, the Overberg District Municipality, The Fynbos Trust, Working on Fire, the Greater Cape Town Water Fund and the Greater Overberg Fire Protection Association.
Already vegetation and bird surveys have been undertaken before the fire. After the completion of the fire, these will be followed up to monitor the recovery. These will be carefully captured, to guide future restoration projects.
Images: Roshni Lodhia
