Hacking as fire damage control
“Invasive trees such as pines and gums burn ten times hotter than fynbos, and fires occurring in areas invaded by listed alien plants are difficult to bring under control”, says Louise Stafford, project leader of the Green Jobs Unit which manages the Cape Town City’s invasive species control teams. In both the 2000 and 2015 Cape fires, homes alongside nature reserves surrounded by invasive species such as gums, wattle and eucalyptus were more likely to experience infrastructure damage, as opposed to properties that were cleared of invasive species. “The repetition of damage to houses and…read more