Knysna Forest, Controlled Burn

Controlled burn at Tree Spirit Cottages!

Our first controlled burn yesterday was a big day at Tree Spirit Guest Farm in the Knysna Forest when we actually got to burn the excess brush on the farm. This has been in the planning for along time so with the burn season started, permit approved and the perfect weather conditions yesterday was D Day.

Even with all this in place we could not have done it without the assistance of The Southern Cape Fire Association (SCFPA)who expertise and equipment resulted in it all going off without a hitch. As we are based in the Knysna forest its a very high risk fire area. Last year we cleared in excess of 70 cubes of alien vegetation which we had hoped to chip.

Unfortunately the weather did not play along with us and equipment was getting bogged in so we were left with large amounts of brush on the ground from this clearing and others over the years. Having exhausted all options to reduce this fire risk a controlled burn was looked at as the only option considering at this stage the wood was so old it was too dry to chip.

A huge amount of piles were burnt yesterday and a long nights vigil was put in extinguishing flare ups as the wind increased, one very tired husband! This morning however we awoke to a beautiful sight of actually being able to see our land how cool is that!! Now the exciting part of landscaping and actually utilising the land is ahead of us. Next step mini digger to create swales on the contours. We have taken feedback from the land and the result of clearing so much vegetation is major run off.

So we now have to address sinking and storing our water on the farm, which will allow us to plant on the mounds and stabilize the area. A big thank you to the SCFPA without whom this would never have happened. It felt very safe with all the team knowing what to do, certainly not something to be tried at home on your own!! The amount of man power and equipment that goes into a successful controlled burn is huge and why you get the professionals to do it. So from a beautiful autumns sunny day in the forest with smoke still lingering in the air, that’s all from me. Watch this space for the next part of this journey. Fi

Knysna Forest, controlled burn

Knysna Forest, controlled burn

 

 

burn2 burn1 after burn