A university study has found that alien invasive trees fuelled last year’s devastating fires in Knysna in the Southern Cape.
The drought also played a part in the severity of the inferno.
The study was done by the Nelson Mandela University in conjunction with Stellenbosch University and other role-players.
The study assessed climatic, weather and fuel factors that contributed to the fires in early June 2017.
Seven people died in the fires that burnt for a week. Over a thousand homes and businesses were razed to the ground.
Dr Tineke Kraaij from the Nelson Mandela University in George, was one of the researchers: “More than half of the area that burnt in the Knysna fire comprised of either pine plantation or areas of natural vegetation that was severely invaded by alien invasive plants. A lot of which are the same pines that are planted in the plantation as well as several Australian species. Most of these alien invasive plants produce much more biomass and therefore fuel.”
