You would have been forgiven for thinking that winter had arrived earlier than usual on Monday morning as countless flakes of ash fell from the sky at Steenberg. The entire Constantia Valley was engulfed with smoke as routine prescribed burning was done at the Tokai Lower Plantation and Core Fynbos Conservation Site, a Part of the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP).
The board on the side of the road informing motorists of the fire
Prescribed burning is a key practice by most environmental managers undertaken primarily to ensure the survival of many threatened fynbos species as well as to eradicate dangerous fuel loads such as dead branches and logs. The prescribed burning being done in Tokai is under the authority of a permit issued by the City of Cape Town*.
The smoke created by the fire could be seen for miles
Whilst the ash-fall can be an irritation for Constantia residents the advantage is that the fire will stimulate indigenous seeds and bulbs to germinate, allowing fynbos to flourish in the valley as it once did.
Last Tuesday the TMNP used their dedicated helicopter to dump water as a precautionary measure to control the prescribed burning. The helicopter uses the dam at Steenberg Estate as it is the closest water source.
A helicopter scoops water out of the dam at Steenberg
“We gave them permission to use our dam when necessary”, explained Farm Manager Johann de Swardt. “Our dam is small with a capacity of 102 000 cubic metres so if the water level is too low we can’t allow the helicopters to use it because they might damage our suction pipes”.
The view of the smoke from Steenberg Vineyards
The smoke and ash can also interfere with the vines, resulting in what JD Pretorius calls ‘smoke taint’. JD noted, “Luckily we had harvested all of our fruit before the prescribed burning began, or else it could have been a bit tricky”.
*Rob Erasmus, Wildfire investigator, Enviro Wildfire Services, www.saweatherobserver.blogspot.com