The perception of commercial forestry managers of fire management challenges in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa

Abstract

Around 20 000ha of plantation area in South Africa is lost per annum to forest fires, with a direct annual economic plantation loss of R402 million. The majority of larger forestry organisations are well equipped to deal with forest fires, with the assistance of well organised Fire Protection Associations (FPAs). Despite forestry organisations' focus on fire prevention, the number of wildfires remains unacceptably high, threatening the sustainability of commercial forestry in Mpumalanga. Research Aim: This study identified and evaluated the perception of commercial forestry managers of fire prevention challenges and opportunities in the study area. Understanding the forestry managers' perception of fire prevention challenges and identifying opportunities may assist in changing fire prevention practices, to reduce the devastating impact of fires on commercial forestry. Methodology: The research used an embedded mixed method design, with the convergent use of quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative Likert Scale data formed the primary dataset to determine the level of agreement of commercial forestry managers with fire prevention challenges identified in the literature review, while the qualitative data was used to better understand the fire prevention challenges and identify fire prevention opportunities. Results and conclusions: To develop an effective fire prevention strategy, a better analysis of fire causes and their locations at FPA level is needed, driven by larger forestry organisations. Communities within or surrounding forestry areas pose a high fire risk to commercial forestry. Maintaining sound community relations and understanding the socio-economic needs of high fire risk communities, a high fire risk to forestry, are community support opportunities for forestry organisations. Support could include corporate social investment (CSI) projects, such as providing cattle grazing, soccer fields, training, potable water and preferential employment as examples. This could further reduce the most important source of wildfires, which occur mostly in community areas. Support by forestry organisations should be prioritised by focussing on the high fire risk communities, identified by spatial fire location data provided by the camera fire detection centres. Fire awareness education should focus on the identified high risk communities and driven by forestry organisations through their FPAs. Engineering fire prevention options, such as fuel load reduction (burning) and mechanical fuel management should focus more on fuel load management at the regional level, rather than on iii the individual landowner level. Fuel management programmes should focus on regionally identified high fire risk areas. Less than 10% of forest residue is currently used as a fuel source for bio-energy. This provides an opportunity to reduce fuel loads in a more environmentally sustainable way, while reducing smoke emissions, soil damage and biomass wastage from burning. Compliance to and enforcement of FPA rules and regulations are currently ineffective. To improve the administration of the National Veld and Forest Fire Act that aims to prevent and combat wildfires in South Africa, and ensure that it remains responsive and relevant in combatting and preventing veld and forest fires, the National Veld and Forest Fire Amendment Bill of 2021 was recently introduced in parliament. The Bill aims to ensure that local government drives and implements the Act, through Fire Protection Associations, by ensuring that state landowners become FPA members, include FPA regulations in municipal by-laws and training municipal law enforcement officers to enforce the legal provisions regarding veld fires. If the Bill is adopted and implemented, it will address the key enforcement challenges identified in this study. Recommendations for future research Further research is required to better understand the socio-economic challenges facing high fire risk communities, their impact as a source of fires in commercial forestry areas and what could be done to address these challenges. Such research could further assist to reduce the number of accidental fires. Research to investigate the impediments to commercial forestry organisations in the increased use of available biomass for bio-energy as a fuel load reduction alternative, may also promote the implementation of this fire prevention opportunity.