Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has urged visitors not to bring their own firewood to protected areas as it might contain a tiny beetle which is a serious threat to indigenous trees and forests.
Acting Ezemvelo CEO Sihle Mkhize said the polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB) is about the size of a sesame seed and native to Southeast Asia. It has recently started invading South Africa.
The beetles create branching, breeding and feeding galleries in trees lined with a layer of spores of the co-introduced alien species of fungus they carry.
This fungus, which they feed on, is left inside the tree's circulatory system which blocks nutrients and water from reaching parts of the tree, and leads to branch dieback and the tree's death.
Mkhize said visitors should avoid bringing wood from known high-risk areas such as Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Richards Bay, Johannesburg and Pretoria.
“The beetles are spread mainly by the movement of wood from infested trees, most often in the form of firewood. The beetles have spread through this mechanism to numerous locations across the country. There are no chemical products registered for treatment against PSHB in South Africa, which makes this a serious threat to biodiversity and food security.”
A strategy has been developed to minimise the spread in KwaZulu-Natal by restricting the movement of potentially infested wood into protected areas.
“We are assessing the feasibility of banning visitors from bringing wood into protected areas. In the meantime, we urge visitors to protected areas to use charcoal and stop bringing firewood or buy firewood sourced from PSHB-free areas from resort curio shops if necessary.”
Visitors should contact Ezemvelo reserves before their stay regarding the availability of firewood and charcoal.
“If you do not have charcoal and where wood is not available at the curio shop, you should purchase wood locally in the area of the resort.”
Mkhize said if firewood continues to be brought into protected areas they may have to implement legal prohibitions.
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Visitors urged not to bring firewood to protected KZN parks as it may contain a tiny beetle which threatens trees
Image: Supplied
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has urged visitors not to bring their own firewood to protected areas as it might contain a tiny beetle which is a serious threat to indigenous trees and forests.
Acting Ezemvelo CEO Sihle Mkhize said the polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB) is about the size of a sesame seed and native to Southeast Asia. It has recently started invading South Africa.
The beetles create branching, breeding and feeding galleries in trees lined with a layer of spores of the co-introduced alien species of fungus they carry.
This fungus, which they feed on, is left inside the tree's circulatory system which blocks nutrients and water from reaching parts of the tree, and leads to branch dieback and the tree's death.
Mkhize said visitors should avoid bringing wood from known high-risk areas such as Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Richards Bay, Johannesburg and Pretoria.
“The beetles are spread mainly by the movement of wood from infested trees, most often in the form of firewood. The beetles have spread through this mechanism to numerous locations across the country. There are no chemical products registered for treatment against PSHB in South Africa, which makes this a serious threat to biodiversity and food security.”
A strategy has been developed to minimise the spread in KwaZulu-Natal by restricting the movement of potentially infested wood into protected areas.
“We are assessing the feasibility of banning visitors from bringing wood into protected areas. In the meantime, we urge visitors to protected areas to use charcoal and stop bringing firewood or buy firewood sourced from PSHB-free areas from resort curio shops if necessary.”
Visitors should contact Ezemvelo reserves before their stay regarding the availability of firewood and charcoal.
“If you do not have charcoal and where wood is not available at the curio shop, you should purchase wood locally in the area of the resort.”
Mkhize said if firewood continues to be brought into protected areas they may have to implement legal prohibitions.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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