“After much consideration of the high risk this alien beetle and the fungus it carries pose to biodiversity in our reserves, and the main means of their spread being through firewood, Ezemvelo has decided to implement a ban on visitors bringing firewood into any of our reserves.
“Visitors can purchase firewood from our curio shops that have been safely sourced from PSHB-free areas. We urge visitors to use charcoal, which can be brought into our reserves, and to refrain from bringing firewood. Buy firewood from resort curio shops if necessary,” said Mkhize.
He stressed Ezemvelo would continue to work with nearby communities to ensure the wood they sell is PSHB-free.
Meanwhile, the Cape Winelands district municipality’s fire services and their contract partners have appealed to visitors to only light fires in approved areas after they responded to more than 25 small fires over the past weekend.
The Western Cape district municipality said all the fires occurred in or close to areas that are popular for social gatherings.
“While none of the fires has caused serious damage, and all were successfully managed, the fire services wish to remind the public that the current hot weather is favourable to veld fires,” the municipality said.
It stressed members of the public may only braai or make a fire where there are suitable facilities as it is illegal to make a fire in an area where there are no designated areas.
When socialising in designated areas, people must not make fires on very hot days.
“If you decide to braai, always ensure your fire is completely extinguished before leaving the area. The evening breeze can easily cause coals to reignite and be blown into dry vegetation, causing a devastating veld fire. When hiking or biking in the mountains, always ensure you inform someone where you are going and when they can expect you back.”
TimesLIVE
Visitors warned about firewood ban when visiting KZN nature reserves
Visitors have been urged to refrain from bringing firewood to KwaZulu-Natal nature reserves as it might contain a tiny beetle that seriously threatens indigenous trees and forests.
The polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB), which is about the size of a sesame seed and native to Southeast Asia, has started invading South Africa.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife said 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, blocking nutrients and water from reaching parts of the tree and ultimately leading to branch dieback and the death of the tree.
Ezemvelo's acting CEO Sihle Mkhize said the beetles spread mainly through the movement of wood from infested trees, most often in the form of firewood.
Mkhize noted the beetles have spread to many locations across the country through firewood.
No chemical products are registered for treatment against PSHB in South Africa, which makes this a serious threat to biodiversity and food security, said Mkhize.
“After much consideration of the high risk this alien beetle and the fungus it carries pose to biodiversity in our reserves, and the main means of their spread being through firewood, Ezemvelo has decided to implement a ban on visitors bringing firewood into any of our reserves.
“Visitors can purchase firewood from our curio shops that have been safely sourced from PSHB-free areas. We urge visitors to use charcoal, which can be brought into our reserves, and to refrain from bringing firewood. Buy firewood from resort curio shops if necessary,” said Mkhize.
He stressed Ezemvelo would continue to work with nearby communities to ensure the wood they sell is PSHB-free.
Meanwhile, the Cape Winelands district municipality’s fire services and their contract partners have appealed to visitors to only light fires in approved areas after they responded to more than 25 small fires over the past weekend.
The Western Cape district municipality said all the fires occurred in or close to areas that are popular for social gatherings.
“While none of the fires has caused serious damage, and all were successfully managed, the fire services wish to remind the public that the current hot weather is favourable to veld fires,” the municipality said.
It stressed members of the public may only braai or make a fire where there are suitable facilities as it is illegal to make a fire in an area where there are no designated areas.
When socialising in designated areas, people must not make fires on very hot days.
“If you decide to braai, always ensure your fire is completely extinguished before leaving the area. The evening breeze can easily cause coals to reignite and be blown into dry vegetation, causing a devastating veld fire. When hiking or biking in the mountains, always ensure you inform someone where you are going and when they can expect you back.”
TimesLIVE
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