Africa Biomass Company (ABC) has been a pioneer in the development of biomass processing such as wood chips, biofuel, and mulch in both the agriculture and forestry industries in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa over the past two decades.
In 2004 Willem van der Merwe, founder, and CEO of Africa Biomass Company, bought a small, specialised tree felling company and used wood chippers to enhance productivity. Over time these services and equipment were used in agriculture, river rehabilitation projects, and lately also forestry, with a focus on biomass to energy and under canopy mulching.
ABC has grown to meet increasing demand for these services and now has nine production teams using the latest biomass processing equipment and techniques to process plantation residue, alien invasive trees, and encroacher bushes.
ABC specialises in providing contracting services in the following core operations: -
Land Preparation Serrat mulchers have demonstrated their effectiveness as a comprehensive solution for land preparation before replanting. Plantation managers see this as the future of single-step preparation, replacing the previously used herbicides, burning, and manual labour, which were both labour-intensive and had a detrimental impact on the soil conditions.
Under Canopy Mulching and Fire Management In South Africa, the practice of under canopy mulching is gaining traction as part of an integrated fire management strategy to reduce fuel loads, such as prunings. ABC is excited about the results obtained through multiple trials in various regions using the rugged Serrat mulchers to process fuel load in an efficient, cost-effective, and ecologically beneficial way to the environment. The Serrat forestry mulchers, available as part of ABC’s contracting fleet or to purchase, come in several widths and can process several diameters of material according to the client’s need.
Biomass to Energy Correctly sourced biomass is environmentally friendly, renewable, abundantly available, and cost-effective fuel that can be combusted as a source of fuel to generate heat for a variety of applications. Typical sustainable sources of biomass are offcuts from sustainably managed commercial plantations, recycled orchard and vineyard residues, and most importantly invasive alien vegetation that is cleared as part of river rehabilitation projects. Harvesting unwanted alien vegetation increases water runoff, decreases the risk of bush fires, and contributes to the restoration of natural vegetation.
ABC is an authorised dealer for Bandit wood chippers, Serrat mulchers, Badger biomass equipment and Dezzi equipment. They are based in Worcester in the Western Cape and have branches in George (W. Cape), Kirkwood (Eastern Cape), Upington (Northern Cape), Parys (Free State), Tzaneen (Limpopo) and Nelspruit (Mpumalanga).
ABC places a high value on customer well-being and after-sales support, and each customer's operations are treated as unique, with custom-tailored solutions.
ABC are Gold Sponsors at this year’s Focus on Forestry Conference taking place at Karkloof in the KZN midlands from 7-9 November, and conference delegates are invited to visit their stand. ABC CEO Willem van der Merwe will address the following topic on Wednesday, 8th November at 11:55: “The latest biomass processing equipment and techniques available to process plantation residue, alien invasive trees, and encroacher bush.”
For more info visit ABC’s website at www.abc.co.za, their YouTube channel at “Africa Biomass Company” or contact the ABC head office at 023 342 1212.
For a full list of new and used equipment for sale, send an email to: info@abc.co.za
13th Fire Management Symposium coming up
‘Preparing for the next Mega Fire Event’ is the focus of the upcoming Fire Management Symposium being hosted by the School of Natural Resources Management at the Nelson Mandela University’s George campus from 23-25th November 2022.
This event is designed to bring together the experiences and insights of natural resource managers, engineers, fire managers and scientists through an integrated approach that recognises the contributions of different role players in the mammoth task of preventing the occurrence of destructive wildfires, such as the one that devastated the southern Cape region in June 2017.
The Symposium will include two days of presentations from fire experts in different disciplines, and a field day hosted by the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association to visit pristine fynbos areas and learn about their unique fire ecology.
Internationally renowned fire scientist Prof Pete Fule from the School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, will deliver the first keynote address and will be supported by local fire specialists such as Pieter van der Merwe. The programme includes presentations by experts from CSIR, SANParks, Montigny Investments, Sappi, Working on Fire, Mondi and Cape Nature.
There will be plenty of opportunities for delegates to network with fire management experts, presenters and stakeholders, and a gala dinner to close off.
For more info contact:-
Tiaan Pool, HoD Forestry Department at NMU; tiaanp@mandela.ac.za. Mobile: 072 374 2347. Sonia Roets - sonia.roets@mandela.ac.za 044-8015091.
NMU’s top students in Forestry, Wood Technology & Veld Fire Management
Top students celebrate with NMU staff (right to left): Dr Muedanyi Ramantswana (Forestry programme co-ordinator), Hannes van Zyl (Veld Fire Management programme co-ordinator), Lelonathemba Ndaleni, Buseka Bhebhi, Likho Ndevu, Luphumlo Tomana, Zizipho Pikashe and Richard Muller (Wood Technology programme co-ordinator).
A special awards ceremony was held on April 7 at the Nelson Mandela University George campus to recognise the top student achievers in Forestry, Wood Technology and Veldfire Management.
“You have shown excellence in your academic studies during a difficult time of the COVID pandemic,” said Forestry programme coordinator Dr Ramantswana in his address to the students at the awards ceremony. “We encourage you to continue on this trajectory in the workplace and other spheres of society.”
Three forestry diploma students were recipients of the special awards: Sanele Xulu received the award for best student in Forest Engineering, Silviculture and Human Resources modules, whilst Buseka Bhebhi received the award for Forest Management and Lelonathemba Ndaleni received the award for Veld Fire Management. Top students in the Wood Technology Diploma programme were Zizipho Pikashe who received an award for the best student in Timber Seasoning and Likho Ndevu was the top student in Timber Processing. In the Higher Certificate in Veld Fire Management, Luphumlo Tomana (full-time programme) and Renier Groenewald (part-time programme) received top student awards.
Masters student graduates cum laude Phozisa Dlokweni (aka ‘Phozy’), from Ngceleni village in the Eastern Cape, graduated with an MSc Forestry (cum laude) at the recent NMU George Campus graduation ceremony.
Phozy (26) completed her MSc in record time and attributed her success to the assistance she received from her supervisors, Muedanyi Ramantswana, Raffaele Spinelli and Andrew McEwan.
Phozisa ‘Phozy’ Dlokweni graduated with an MSc Forestry cum laude, in record time.
Phozy said her passion for forestry comes from her father, a forestry contractor, and her uncle who is a forester. She is currently an intern at the University of Pretoria in the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), employed as a field extension officer.
After matriculating at Maclear High School, Phozy enrolled for the extended Forestry Diploma programme at the George Campus. The following year she bagged several distinctions in the mainstream Forestry Diploma programme after which she excelled in her BTech in Forestry, with core modules in Forest Engineering, Silviculture and Veld Fire Management.
In 2020, Phozy enrolled for an MSc in Forestry. Her research thesis focused on assessing the productivity and volume recovery of mechanised harvesting in a pine fire salvaging operation in the Eastern Cape. She plans to start her PhD in forestry soon.
“My supervisor, Dr Muedanyi Ramantswana, has been my role model and encouraged me to work hard and be dedicated,” said Phozy. “The experience gained at the University during my internship and research at MTO Cape, has augmented my academic journey as a life changing experience that I will forever cherish,” she says.
Phozy also enjoys reading, outdoor adventure, volunteering in community upliftment projects, travelling and is a true sports fanatic.
New association for wildland firefighters launched
A new association for Wildland Firefighters has been launched in South Africa. The Association for Wildland Firefighters (AWF) represents the wildland firefighting industry and associated professionals in Southern Africa.
“Numerous investigations into some disastrous fires in Southern Africa highlighted the need for a formal body to represent the needs of the wildland firefighter. The AWF aims to develop the knowledge, skills, understanding and competence of wildland firefighting in South Africa,” says Etienne Du Toit, the chairperson of the AWF.
Du Toit says the organization aims to improve the standards of safety and the working environment for firefighters in the sector in which its members operate.
The Association is registered as an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation. Any person or organisation associated with the wildland firefighting/integrated fire management fraternity qualifies to be members.
Du Toit says that climate change has resulted in a significant increase in wildfire risk, not only to responders but also to civilians.
“Monetary losses and other damages as result of these fires annually exceeds hundreds of millions. More needs to be done to address these risks. This is where the AWF comes in, an organisation that aims to share learning in such a manner that it promotes professionalism, reduces responder and civilian risk and at the same time allows for continuous improvement in all aspects of integrated wildfire management.”
The new association specifically addresses the needs of the wildfire fraternity.
“Until now, no other association specifically addressed the needs of the wildfire fraternity, there are similar associations but these are more focused on the structural firefighting sector,” says Du Toit.
The founders of the organisation come from a variety of backgrounds, including the fire service, forestry and conservation sectors and include business development practitioners with vast practical experience in these sectors.
“This Association seeks to enhance synergies between the various entities responsible for wildfire and integrated fire management, and one of the main aims is to professionalise the wildfire fighting industry in SA,” he said.
For more info contact Tessa Oliver at email: info@wildlandfire.org.za
By Lize Joubert-van der Merwe, Veldtology (Pty) Ltd I really like grasslands. I especially like how they ripple in waves up and down hill and mountain slopes when there is an approaching thunderstorm; how they change to that rich golden color in the final sunspots just before the dark-grey, rolling thunderclouds and lightning chases you indoors; and how their inflorescences hold rain drops from the previous night like a chandelier of diamonds. My fascination with grasslands extends beyond their aesthetic appearance to also include their ecology, management, and why this matters to forestry.
Moisture and temperature shape grasslands Grasslands are so vast that we often accept their presence as ubiquitous, yet, they are constantly changing in response to natural and anthropogenic drivers of diversity. I interpret grassland diversity from an understanding that moisture and temperature influenced broad vegetation patterns over the past few thousand years, as outlined by Frank Neumann. Did you know that the current wet-and-warm climatic period has only been around for 800-1000 years? A cooler period with less fires (more than 13 000 years ago) caused grassland to have many more fynbos elements, and we still see relics of Protea and Erica communities growing on cooler, south-facing slopes (Figure 1 above). Much later (~4600 to 3500 years ago), there was a drier period when grasslands saw an increase in karroid elements, specifically Pentzia incana (Ankerkaroo) that nowadays dominates sheep farms in the central Karoo.
In the current wet-and-warm climatic period, grasses dominate in grasslands (hence, the name), but they still have to compete with flowering forbs, trees and alien plants to remain numero uno. For this, they use various competitive strategies. Grasses keep flowering forbs at bay by rapidly growing into a dense layer that intercepts heat and sunlight from (s)lower-growing plants. This strategy to monopolize access to sunlight is quite a dicey move, because grasses are themselves not tolerant of shading. In fact, it happens in the absence of fire and grazing that build-up of leaf litter and moribund grass blocks sunlight from reaching live buds and leaves, which causes die-back of grass tussocks – a phenomenon known as ‘self-shading’. This is why fire is such an important part of grassland management. Fire is truly the exfoliating treatment that removes dead and dry cells from grasslands, so that new life can flourish.
Importantly, the ability of grasses to outgrow forbs and intercept limiting resources is directly tied to the current climate. During periodic droughts, when grasses cannot maintain their productivity levels, forbs are quite capable of recruiting successfully from seeds (Figure 2). Similarly, grasslands subjected to severe overgrazing are not able to keep forbs in check, leading to an overabundance of flowering forbs that is sometimes even visible on satellite images (Figure 3).
Figure 3: The bright yellow flowers of poisonous Senecio isatideus can be seen on satellite images along this overgrazed stream. Satellite image from Google Earth.
The role of fire If we shift our focus to the woodies in our midst, grasses keep shrubs and trees in check by sustaining a ‘fire trap’ from which tree seedlings hardly ever emerge unscathed (Figure 4). A fire trap is essentially the fire flame zone of the grassy layer. Unlike grasses, most indigenous shrubs and trees are sensitive to fire, especially as seedlings. So, fire gives grasses the competitive edge over shrubs and trees, just like climate gives grasses the competitive edge over forbs.
Grassland with a well-developed grass layer that burns at the correct intervals (when biomass ~ 4 tons / ha) should have no problem with invading trees. However, where the grass layer is jeopardized by too frequent burning, overgrazing or shading by large trees, fire intensity will be lower with consequently less killing power to aim at invading tree seedlings. For example, in communal rangeland (with heavier grazing → less grass → cooler fires), it often happens that tree seedlings escape the fire trap and grow into bigger trees that are more fire tolerant. Shading by timber trees also play an important role in advancing bush encroachment into grassland, especially in narrow corridors of forestry plantations. In fact, shading might explain much of the ‘edge effect’ of timber on adjacent vegetation, previously reported by Prof. James Pryke.
The role of atmospheric CO2 Interrogations of the local and global drivers of bush encroachment have led to a growing consensus among researchers that elevated atmospheric CO2 levels is an important global driver of bush encroachment. The exact mechanism is still unknown, but possibilities include the fertilizer effect of atmospheric CO2 on woody shrubs and trees, or an indirect effect on soil water content and its depletion in the surface soil layers where grass roots sit. Encouragingly though, a team of researchers led by Prof. Sally Archibald and Prof. William Bond found that bush do not encroach as rapidly in protected areas with elephants – the big giants of Africa that create their favored grassland habitat by pushing over trees. Although I am not advocating for the introduction of elephants to eradicate bush, this shows that local actions can trump global drivers in shaping vegetation dynamics. This is indeed encouraging.
Practical solutions customized to local context The trick is to find practical management solutions that can be applied in forestry plantations to help control bush encroachment. Such solutions will probably involve a combination of management actions sustained for longer periods of time, rather than single once-off interventions. For example, it would be pointless to do a once-off clearing of dense stands of Ouhout trees, with no follow-up burning and thinning operations to keep shrubs and trees in check. Moreover, instead of looking for a silver-bullet strategy that works well everywhere, management actions would probably need to be customized to fit local context and challenges.
Key local issues will include the shape and size of conservation areas. By virtue of their close proximity, any management intervention inside a narrow, small or irregularly-shaped conservation area has a greater probability of affecting adjacent timber compartments, than if you had a wider or larger conservation area. Thus, when a decision has to be made to control bush encroachment in one conservation area (but not another), shape and size is a useful starting point. In fact, it is non-negotiable that the conservation area must be the correct shape and of reasonable size to allow for safe burning.
Additional considerations include proximity to important conservation areas (e.g., with Red-Listed species or threatened ecosystems) and level of wetness. If bush encroachment threatens the functionality of a threatened grassy ecosystem, this is a good reason to prioritize bush thinning operations. Even more so when that threatened ecosystem contains threatened species, such as Long-toed Tree Frogs (Leptopelis xenodactylus), Swamp Nightjars (Caprimulgus natalensis) or African Grass Owls (Tyto capensis) that all depend on grassy habitats.
Lastly, level of wetness seems to influence vegetation succession (grassland -> bushy thickets or forest) and / or how the wetland ecosystem responds to bush thinning and burning. This is beautifully shown in the delineated areas of Zululand, where wetter wetlands have a greater tendency to remain grassy, whereas drier wetlands have a greater tendency to become bush encroached. We do not quite understand the mechanism of this phenomenon - it might be that grasses (with shallower roots) respond quicker than shrubs and trees when there is a shallow water table present. If this is the case, it will mean a better ecosystem response to burning, because a healthy grass layer is better able to sustain a fire trap that kills tree seedlings. Personally, I would consider shortlisting wetter wetlands for bush thinning and burning.
The role of roads in shaping fire It makes logical sense that all management operations should be aligned with clearly-visible, on-the-ground features so that operators know where to work. Such features can be roads, trace belts, streams or fence lines, depending on what is available. Where fire management is concerned, roads (mostly vegetated or dirt tracks) work exceptionally well, because they also provide access to vehicles and fire-fighting equipment, and should have low fuel loads (due to routine road maintenance). This makes it possible for foresters to set alight vegetation along the road, so that the fire burns from the periphery towards the interior of a conservation area, with minimal risk to adjacent timber. This is probably why we find grassland vegetation in larger conservation areas with roads along their edges, but bushy thicket in those without roads (or wrongly placed roads) (Figure 5). Exceptions include narrow or irregularly-shaped conservation areas that will probably not burn, regardless of presence or absence of roads, because of risk to adjacent timber. Another exception is conservation areas on steep slopes, where management (also roads placement and burning) would be adjusted to fit the soil erosion risk profile.
Figure 5: Roads (yellow lines) on either side of this grassland corridor shaped access and control of planned burns, but bush encroachment took place below the drop-off where controlled burns were not possible. Satellite image from Google Earth.
The value of well-placed roads is not new and already embedded in wetland delineation procedures for some forestry companies. Especially in Zululand (where terrain is not a problem), valley-bottom cut-off roads are routinely implemented at the edge of conservation areas (where they join commercial timber) to mark new compartment boundaries, to provide access, and to enable the use of fire in alien plant control (Figure 6). Getting control of alien plants within the first few years after felling timber is a major delineation goal, because it feeds into water security and sets the direction of ecosystem recovery in terms of biodiversity. Most of the roads around conservation areas have vegetated surfaces and are not expensive to maintain (Figure 6), but they make the world’s difference in restoring delineated land to a semi-natural state.
I think many environmentally-minded people (including myself) have been blinded by the negative impacts of roads, notably in connection with soil erosion and sedimentation. Perhaps, it is time to recognize that well-designed road networks (with roads that are well-placed, well-drained and well-maintained) can be conservation assets too.
Using fire in alien plant control Fire, along with foliar herbicide sprays and cut-stump applications are your cost-effective tools in the fight against alien plant invasions, notably American Bramble. Of these, fire followed by foliar sprays is the most cost-effective treatment option available in grasslands, but it is seldom (if ever) used in dense thickets.
Fire in grassland simplifies access, reduces the size of alien plants and causes a flush of new growth, which is more susceptible to foliar sprays than stems and mature leaves (Figure 7). However, of critical importance is the timing of post-fire follow-up sprays to hit the flush of new vegetative growth just at the right time, i.e., when plants are between knee and hip height. Get the timing wrong, and it is back to square one. No alien plant control operation should start without a viable follow-up plan that can be implemented with available resources - money, manpower and the necessary expertise to guide effective alien plant control.
Different stages of bush encroachment Bush encroachment is a gradual process of indigenous shrubs and trees replacing grasses often over a period of >10 years. Drought with uncontrolled grazing and shading of the grass layer in narrow corridors can increase the rate of bush encroachment, while expeditious burning can delay or stop the process. At the end of the day, there will be different stages of bush encroachment in a forestry landscape, with at least some alien plants that need to be controlled.
Early stages of bush encroachment (when shrub and tree cover is still sparse) should be prioritized for intervention, because the cost-effective management of alien plants with fire and foliar sprays is still possible. Basically, foliar sprays can be used until alien plants are about shoulder height, but do remember that bigger plants → more herbicide → greater cost. For alien plants above shoulder height, cut-stump applications are your next-best option, but at a far greater expense. Even larger specimens can be frilled or ring-barked, which are labor-intensive and time-consuming operations. Here, you must ensure it is done correctly to ensure maximum effectiveness.
For late stages of bush encroachment (dense thicket or early-successional forest), a different mechanism is used to effectively control alien plants. Here, the tree canopy effectively intercepts sunlight from reaching the soil surface, which prevents alien seeds from germinating. Dense thickets with an intact tree canopy generally do not have a problem with alien plants. It is only where there are gaps in the canopy (due to windfall or along thicket edges) that alien plants can establish, and where they need to be controlled.
A word of caution, though. Chopping down a large, solitary pine or eucalypt tree inside a dense thicket patch will create a gap in the tree canopy that presents an opportunity for alien plant recruitment. It is better to ring bark or frill such trees, so that surrounding indigenous trees are not damaged and so that there is not a sudden flush of sunlight available at the forest floor. The longer ‘time-to-kill’ for ring barked or frilled alien plant specimens also leaves a window of opportunity for indigenous tree species to fill the tree canopy gap, which effectively removes the alien plant recruitment opportunity. The effective control of alien plants in dense thickets considers treatments along with this careful manipulation of shade and sunlight on the forest floor.
In contrast to early and late stages of bush encroachment, there is an intermediary bushy state that presents a problem to management, and also has less biodiversity value than both more-grassy and more-forested states, according to Dr. René Gaigher. Here, fire cannot be used anymore (due to lack of grass cover) and the tree canopy has not yet locked out sunlight. This stage is susceptible to alien invasion, but it is difficult to gauge extent of invasion due to poor visibility and accessibility. For the same reasons, alien plants are difficult to find and treat. Viable treatment options in this context are expensive and time-consuming: cut-stump applications and frilling. Foliar herbicide spraying is an option along edges, but cannot be recommended for the interior of these bushy patches.
Where it makes sense to do so, the long-term strategy to control alien plants would be to reverse the intermediary bushy state back to grassland, so that fire and foliar spraying can again be used as treatment options. This will also benefit biodiversity. However, it will be an expensive and difficult journey of sustained effort for many years, which necessitates careful consideration of the points raised earlier (size and shape, important conservation areas, slope direction, and level of wetness). For all other conservation areas that is still in a predominantly grassy state, it is of utmost importance to maintain that grassy state with appropriate management.
Grassland for water production Probably the greatest benefit of functional grasslands in conservation corridors involves their ecological function in the sense of water production. Grasslands use less water than bushy thickets, and much less than alien vegetation. According to the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998), commercial forestry is a stream-flow reduction activity that requires a water use license to safeguard national water security. It is this legal framework that enforces wetland delineation and control of alien plants along waterways, but it does not stipulate desired natural vegetation type (grassland vs. bushy thickets vs. forest) once timber along streams and around wetlands is felled. If the objective of legislation is to safeguard water security for downstream users, it would seem advantageous to have more grassland and less bushy vegetation in riparian and wetland buffer zones.
However, conservation corridors are not just water production areas. They also conserve biodiversity and ecosystem function, specifically ecological values representative of the historic state before timber dominated these landscapes. If the historic state in Zululand is coastal forest along streams, with grassland a bit further way, there is no reason for bush thinning operations in the riparian zone. Burning of grassland adjacent the forested riparian zone will maintain a functional ecotone and ensure that the coastal forest do not expand to dominate the entire drainage line. Maintaining this natural range of habitat types (grassy and woody types in wetter and drier areas) will tick the ‘biodiversity conservation’ block along with the one for water production.
A bit of practical wisdom also goes a long way for the management of rugged, south-facing, bush encroached hillslopes in the KZN Midlands. If the terrain is too rugged to have roads (to help safe burning) and if the microclimate on that hillslope is too cold and wet to sustain a fire, it might be best not to intervene with bush thinning operations. However, conservation areas on warmer hillslopes that jut down to rivers and with bush encroachment that can be traced back to a clear starting point (such as a change in ownership or retirement of an experienced forester) are good candidates for bush thinning operations that will probably also benefit water production.
Lize Joubert-van der Merwe is an independent consultant specialising in sustainable agriculture and forestry through improved management of natural resources.
