FSA secures R18 m funding for forest protection
The arrival of the Sirex wood wasp in South Africa a few years ago was the cause of considerable damage to pine plantations across the country. Here a pine tree is inoculated with the nematodes of a parasitic wasp that was introduced to curb the spread of Sirex, which stunts tree growth and eventually kills infested trees.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) concluded between Forestry South Africa and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) is set to boost industry’s efforts to counter the impact of pests and diseases on the country’s timber resources with the injection of R18 million funding over two years.
“While long overdue, this partnership with DFFE will add greatly to our efforts to protect our timber resources against pests and diseases, conduct desperately needed research and development, build our human capacity in this crucial area and encourage ongoing investment by our sector,” commented FSA’s Research and Forest Protection Director, Ronald Heath.
The MoA focuses on five main outcomes:-
• Monitoring activities
• Awareness programmes
• Provision of diagnostic services to the forestry industry
• Conducting research on aspects of pests and diseases.
Wattle rust is a growing problem that causes severe damage to young wattle trees in KZN and Mpumalanga. Spores are spread by wind, rain splash and insects. Disease management strategies include chemical treatments and breeding of rust tolerant trees.
The MoA will be managed on behalf of the Industry by Ronald Heath with oversight provided by the National Pests and Diseases Steering Committee which includes representatives from DFFE, FSA, the National Forest Research Forum and the Tree Protection Cooperative.
After five years of continuous and active engagement with the DFFE, the process was concluded in the short space of one month thanks to the efforts of Mohammed Bhabha of the PPGI, Sabelo Malaza from the Masterplan Programme Management Office in DFFE and Director-General Tshabala, said Ronald.
The importance of securing this funding support from DFFE is underlined by the increasing impacts of pests and diseases on forestry in South Africa and around the world.
It is estimated that over the past 30 years the forestry industry has been losing the equivalent of 11.5% of its harvest to pests and diseases every year. When using current value estimates of 50% of the average value of the timber, the losses amount to R392 million of roundwood annually. This translates into an opportunity cost of R2,05 billion in additional downstream processing that is lost.
The losses outlined above - which exclude losses due to fire - have arisen from just a handful of pests and diseases. Now, with the rate of new pests and diseases landing on our shores increasing rapidly on the back of expanding global trade, the losses incurred from pest and disease damage are expected to increase dramatically in future.
The gall wasp Leptocybe invasa has caused extensive damage to eucalypts, especially in the Zululand area. The wasp causes galls on the mid-ribs of leaves and on the petioles and stems resulting in curling of leaves and malformation of stems. Management strategies include the release of a biological control in the form of a tiny wasp and the selection and breeding of more Leptocybe tolerant planting material.
