Stellenbosch Municipality plans to execute a controlled ecological burn within sections of the Jan Marais Nature Reserve during the last week of April, weather permitting.
The primary purpose of the proposed burn, according to municipal spokesman, Stuart Grobbelaar, is to maintain a viable population of fynbos, which comprises of critically endangered Boland Granite Fynbos and Swartland Shale Renosterveld, within Jan Marais Nature Reserve and to the reduce the present fuel load to address the risk of a potentially unmanageable wildfire occurring within or spreading through the reserve.
Fynbos is fire-adapted and requires regular burning for its persistence. The optimal fire cycle for fynbos is between 10 to 14 years.
“The planned controlled burn will be executed with the assistance of the Stellenbosch Fire Department and Fire Protection Association. The park will be closed to the public on the day of the planned burn and the day thereafter to allow for follow-up work to be completed and the area declared safe.
“The planned burn is timed to coincide with the start of winter and the expected rainy weather,”said Grobbelaar.
The proposed burn is planned for a limited area (about 4 ha) in the centre of the park to establish a mosaic of veld-ages within Jan Marais Nature Reserve and to allow the wildlife within the reserve to escape to unaffected areas.
For further information contact the municipality’s Environmental Management Section at 021 808 8119 / Joswin.Paulse@stellenbosch.gov.za)
