Wild Environment Business Solutions

Landowners: Do you want to clear invasive alien plants on your farm? Uncertain where to start?

landowners will know about the risks posed by alien invasive vegetation: They change fire behaviour in our natural landscapes, increasing threats to infrastructure, cultivated lands and natural veld.

While the thought of clearing can be overwhelming, there are solutions available to you, and partners who are able to help.

Take a look here for more on options available to landowners: https://overbergfpa.co.za/invasive-plant-clearing-restoration-the-teams-you-can-trust/

Overberg District Municipality
Overstrand Municipality
Cape Agulhas Municipality
Theewaterskloof Municipality
Swellendam Municipality

Our wood harvesting sites is gearing up for a safe and fire-resistant season! 🔥🚒

We were thrilled to welcome Overstrand Fire & Rescue Services and the Greater Overberg Fire Protection Association. They conducted an inspection of our site ahead of the fire season. Our operations have passed, and all that remains is to ensure our existing fire breaks are in top-notch condition. 🌿🚧

Safety and the protection of our products are our top priorities, and we're ready to face the upcoming season with confidence. 🌲🔥

A huge thank you to the dedicated teams ensuring our safety! 🙏👨‍🚒

🔥👷‍♂️

🌳 Make a positive impact on our environment! Join us in removing invasive alien trees and selling them as firewood. It's a win-win: protect native ecosystems, reduce fire risk, and support local communities. Together, we can make a difference! 🔥🌿
Contact WEBS at 082 513 6346 or email [email protected]

WEBS recently offered Sustainable Harvesting of Fynbos (Wild Product) - Rapid Resource Base Assessment to several stakeholders, including Cape Nature and Agulhas National Park. We looking forward to seeing the information coming through and forming a network sharing data and providing evidence based results in all Sustainable Harvesting of Fynbos programmes.
For more information on our training course or to book your training email us at [email protected]

Invasive plants reduce the Overberg’s resilience to wildfire The Overberg is preparing for the next fire season as we head into the summer months following a dry winter. Because of the increased fire

Planning, planning and more planning! If our posts over the past 3 months have shown you anything, it’s that when you integrate and alien clearing, you must plan your activities.

Only then does the actual work on the ground start: like preparing your firebreaks for a controlled burn. Then undertake the burn during the ecological window (and with burn permits in place). And finally employ a team to follow up after the fire, to remove the invasive seedlings.

For more on finding alien clearing teams to work with, visit: https://overbergfpa.co.za/invasive-plants/

Pines and hakea have overrun many of our fynbos landscapes in the . They are VERY flammable. Because of their high resin content, they burn hot – whether it’s dry or wet. And when they burn, they send embers flying (in many cases their winged seeds cause spot fires, often many hundreds of metres away, where they land). That’s why it’s difficult to extinguish wildfires in fynbos where these invasive plants occur. And that’s a big danger to valuable crops and nearby infrastructure, including houses on the edge of town.

In order to manage them, it’s best to fell the trees and then burn them 18 months to 2 years after (with a burn permit), to take out all the small regrowth before they cone again. By doing this, you’ll deplete the seed store. Bear in mind that when the biomass is stacked, heat from a fire will be concentrated on these patches, which could scorch the soil and hamper the recovery of the fynbos.

(The tips provided here are meant to serve as guidance – but each landowner should consider his or her unique situation and risks before deciding on the best course of action. Take a look back at our management guidelines provided last week which also gives strategic tips to manage invasive plants.)

Hakea image by Invasive Species South Africa (ISSA)

Where farmers have dense stands of large Australian myrtle (𝘓𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘶𝘮 𝘭𝘢𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘮), it’s very difficult to burn these – especially in cooler weather. So it’s best to burn these in a controlled way during the hot, dry months (early autumn is invariably the best time). Myrtle doesn’t coppice. But fire does trigger the seedbank, like acacia species. So it requires a particular management approach.

Landowners could consider burning dense stands of myrtle first (with the right permit, and in the right weather). After the controlled burn, clear all the trees that survived. And then the myrtle plants that sprout should be cleared – either by handpulling them or via herbicide. While the herbicide costs will be notable in the first year or two, by the third year this will reduce dramatically – as will the myrtle invasion.

(The tips provided here are meant to serve as guidance – but each landowner should consider his or her unique situation and risks before deciding on the best course of action. Take a look back at our management guidelines provided last week which also gives strategic tips to manage invasive plants.)

Acacia species, such as Port Jackson and Long-leaf Wattle are prevalent across the . Because they’re fire-driven (like fynbos), many of them, especially Acacia cyclops (better known as Rooikrans), burn easily and fast. And that makes it difficult to extinguish these fires on a hot, dry, windy day.

But fire is also a good tool to manage acacia species. Here’s a tip for landowners: After a burn, acacias regenerate in a carpet from seed. If this growth is successfully treated with herbicide, then landowners would have significantly reduced this seed store – which can lie in the soil for up to 100 years if not stimulated to germinate.

(The tips provided here are meant to serve as guidance – but each landowner should consider his or her unique situation and risks before deciding on the best course of action. Take a look back at our management guidelines provided last week which also gives strategic tips to manage invasive plants.)

Invasive alien plants are a major risk in the . So when land users can manage their invasive plants, they can reduce the wildfire risks.

There are 2 key principles to managing invasive plants:
- Take action early – it’s cheaper and easier than tackling severe infestations
- And then follow up and maintain those areas already cleared, to protect those investments made in clearing the land of alien plants.

To all our teams who have participated in this week compliance assessment another huge thank you. From this point forward we will work together to ensure we continue to build on our compliance standard. For the contractors who did not participate the bar has been set and we look forward to placing you infield while ensuring that you meet the required standards.

Well done this team for attending the Health & Safety Awareness day. Struisbaai can be proud of the work you doing to keep the community safe. Eight team form part of the SEF (Social Employment Fund) doing Alien clearing in Baardskeerdersbos, Waenhuiskrans, Gansbaai, Stanford, Buffeljags and the rural areas of the Overstrand and Cape Agulhas Region.
Thanks to Struisbaai Library and their friendly staff for hosting us for the day.

Our first Occupational Health and Safety Training done and we ready to get another 8 SMMEs in field taking part in the ABI Alien Clearing Project.

Its a hot day today in Buffeljagsbaai, but our team is out hard at work. Be safe guys & girls and remember to keep the water close.

Our team in Elim getting ready earlier this week to do some clearing around their community.

Its been a busy few weeks with 8 teams entering the field and tackling the alien invasives in the Agulhas Plains in Cape Agulhas (Waenhuiskrans/Arniston, Bredasdorp, Elim, Struisbaai) and Overstrand (Buffeljagsbaai, Pearly Beach, Baardskeerdersboas and Sandfontein).

It is that is time of year again and we all need to be aware of the dangers in the field. Be aware of your surroundings and listen to what is happening around you. Be safe!
(www.africansankebiteinstitute.com)

Today Jocelyn and her team is starting clearing of alien invasives in Buffeljags, we wish her and her team all the best. The alien clearing will reduce the fire risk to the community and help to secure biodiversity.

Alien Clearing action in Baardskeerdersbos.

Tomorrow is Heritage Day, enjoy the celebrations and remember fynbos is part of our natural heritage.

We excited to deploy our first Alien Clearing Team to assist with the protection of biodiversity and water security at Denel (Overberg Test Range)

We are proud to be the first South African paying client of Built Accounting and we wish them all the best! They are an amazing team with an great product! Local is Lekker

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