A last-minute court interdict has halted a government project on Table Mountain to clear fire-prone invasive trees, the timber from which is being sold to make furniture.
SANParks has already felled some of the large pine trees on the slopes above Longkloof in Hout Bay, a move it says is necessary to avoid a Los Angeles-type wildfire disaster.
Cape Town faces an increasing fire risk due to a combustible mix of climate change and fire-friendly invasive vegetation, but some residents feel invasive trees with recreational or heritage value should be spared. SANParks also stands accused of failing to consult about the felling project, while some residents this week questioned the use of a tree-felling contractor.
The trees are being felled free of charge by a private company and sold to timber merchants, the Sunday Times established this week. Some wood removed from Table Mountain is sold in the Far East, the contractor confirmed.
“This is not about trying to save alien trees but about due process,” said Longkloof resident Debbie Bacher, who lodged the interdict application this week at the Cape Town high court.
“Where are the official plans for rehabilitation, or the risk assessment to the community? If we are removing thousands of species that have been a part of our ecosystem for so long, is there an assessment on how that will change the environment?”
Some residents fear flooding and other negative environmental impacts due to widespread tree felling, which coincides with heightened awareness around mountain fires — known to be aggravated by highly combustible alien trees and bush.
The department of forestry, fisheries & the environment (DFFE) has issued directives to several landowners with large stands of alien vegetation adjacent to Table Mountain National Park, the Sunday Times established this week. SANParks is also under pressure — from both the department and local landowners — to clear areas under its control.
Although led by the department, the blitz on invasives involves Guy Preston, a former deputy director-general of the DFFE.
Preston, the architect of South Africa’s wildfire management programme who has retired, said this week he was volunteering his time to help combat invasive aliens, which he said not only posed a fire threat but were harmful for water resources and biodiversity.
He said community resistance to clearing of the trees was surprising in the context of several recent fatal fires. “It is so off-the-mark it is just irritating,” he said in response to queries. “With what is happening in LA, and what happened in Knysna, and at UCT, you don’t have to be an expert to know that this is a huge risk.”
In June 2017, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay were devastated by fires in which seven people died and billions of rand of damage was caused. In April 2021, a fire on Table Mountain destroyed some buildings on the UCT campus.
Many residents this week expressed support for alien clearing. However, some accused SANParks of failing to rehabilitate affected areas or remove felled material, thereby increasing fire risk. Some also expressed concern about collateral damage to natural vegetation, as well as to private infrastructure such as roads and fences.
“That is where SANParks should have been more on board — to monitor what is going on,” said Hout Bay landowner Mark Burton-Moore, among those who received a directive to remove alien pines.
With what is happening in LA, and what happened in Knysna, and at UCT, you don’t have to be an expert to know that this is a huge risk.
— Guy Preston, former DDG in the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment
Much of the felled material remains on his property, despite assurances that it would be cleared. “It is quite sad when looking at the property from our perspective,” he said, adding that he nevertheless appreciated the need to reduce the fire risk. “A fire will happen — it is just a matter of when.”
Some Longkloof residents wrote to Preston in support of his efforts.
“These pine trees are a significant fire risk on the urban edge, and this is a threat not only to the houses and properties abutting the park’s land, but to houses further down within Longkloof,” their letter said.
“The urgency of the work should not be underestimated. The potential for strong berg winds that can drive a fire into the invaded area, and intensifying the fire and leading to spotting into the urban area, is real. The firebreak will not contain the embers in a high wind, and the fire could be very difficult to contain in such conditions.”
Preston said outside contractors were necessary due to budget constraints. Income from the sale of the trees offset the high cost of felling, which could be as much as R20,000-R30,000 per tree.
“To my mind it is a no-brainer to use outside contractors — SANParks simply doesn’t have that sort of budget.”
Rodney Long, a timber merchant involved in the Longkloof fell, said the wood would be sold locally and abroad. There had been no formal tender as there was no payment involved.
“But we were asked if we could meet their [SANParks’s] criteria — typically no cost to them, the time requirements, full insurance, detailed requirements about harvesting approach, including minimising damage; tree-surgeon work on a specific proportion of the trees to be harvested, and repair of any damage or fences that have to be removed.
“There is a very limited capacity to do this sort of work. The yield is small, the margins are tight, transport costs are a major factor, and the need to keep the workforce busy is often a challenge with stop-start situations.”
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