The forests of the Garden Route provide employment for many people in the region, and are therefore an important part of its economy.
The forests and their management and exploitation provide employment to, amongst others:
Management and conservation personnel: the scientists, forest officers and labourers who are responsible for the well-being and maintenance of the forests, as well as for harvesting the small quantities of wood that are made available to the furniture and curios industries;
Furniture and curio industry personnel who manufacture and sell curios: cabinet makers, saw millers, sculptors, and salespeople who bring the finished product to the public;
Equipment and tool manufacturers, suppliers and maintainers, who provide their goods and services to the timber and furniture industries;
Tourism trade personnel: tour guides, hotel staff, transport industry personnel and others who are involved in bringing visitors to the forests, etc.
The knock-on effect of this trickles down throughout the economy to, for example, the shops that supply goods and services to people who earn their money in the above- mentioned industries.
Plantation Forestry
Because South Africa is poor in natural forest, it has become necessary to farm with trees in order to supply our timber, pulp and paper needs. The South African Forestry industry claims to plant 90 million trees a year, in a plantation area of nearly 1.5 million hectares - or 1.2% of the country’s total land mass. In the Western Cape, forest plantations account for about 83 280 hectares, or 5.6% of the country’s total.
The principle species of plantation forests are exotic trees (those which came originally from other countries). In the Southern Cape, the following are cultivated:
The softwoods, which are used for timber and pulp -
Pinus radiata i.e. the Monterey pine
Pinus pinasater
The hardwoods, which are used for pulp, telegraph poles and mining timber -
Eucalyptus i.e. the gum trees
Forest plantations can only be created once a permit has been issued by the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry. Also, forest plantations may not utilise more than 70% of their sites - the balance of the ground has to be set aside for preservation of the environment. These are legal safe-guards to prevent the creation of plantations in areas which may be environmentally sensitive.
The forest plantation industry provides employment for many thousands of people throughout the country, with the industry actively involved in community development programmes.
Invader Plants
A number of plants which are foreign to this country have become pests which are threatening our indigenous vegetation and our water supply. The consequences of not controlling these weeds could create enormous problems such as a dwindling water supply, the danger of runaway fires, and the destruction of natural habitat that is of value to tourism.
The weeds that are perhaps best known in the Southern Cape are the hakeas and Australian wattles, which have invaded large tracts of land in this area:
Hakea (hakea or naaldbos) - these shrubs or small trees have thin, hairy, lance-like leaves and woody, egg-shaped fruits. They pose a threat to the natural vegetation, particularly the fynbos. Fire in stands of hakea tends to burn at higher temperatures than is favourable for fynbos;
Acacia mearnsii (black wattle or swartwattel) - this tree is well-known for its thick bunches of sweet-smelling yellow flowers. It was originally imported, and is still grown, for use in the tannin industry. It has, however, thickly infested much of the country and is a serious threat to our water resources. The Government’s Work for Water Project aims to eradicate the wattle from areas where this is the case. The Knysna Elephant Park helps in the eradication of wattle by regularly cutting stands from the surrounding farms, feeding the fresh-cut material to the elephants who relish it as a special delicacy.
Acacia saligna (Port Jackson willow or goudwilger) - this long-leaved wattle is a particular problem on sand dunes and along the river banks of the South-Western Cape. No indigenous vegetation can survive amongst the thick, impenetrable stands of Port Jackson;
Acacia cyclops (Red-eye or rooikrans) - this tree quickly forms impenetrable stands which prevent the growth of indigenous flora. It is an invader in the fynbos as well as the succulent Karroo and even the forests of this area.
Only constant vigilance on the part of all South Africa’s citizens will prevent these plants from destroying our natural heritage.
