Boost for job creation as private company appointed to replant state forests in the Southern Cape

Government has partnered with a private company to revive commercial forestry in the southern Cape  across vast areas of underutilised former state forest, a move expected to create jobs and reduce the risk of runaway fires. 

Cold Stream Timber Company (CTC) has been contracted to replant a number of dormant state plantations, the Garden Route Environmental Forum confirmed this week.  

Many of these former state forests are now infested with alien vegetation, posing a serious fire risk – an issue of particular concern this year due to below-average winter rainfall.  “Times have changed and there is no funding to clear the vast hectares of the mess that’s growing there now nor to keep it clear, so formal reforestation does make sense,” GREF convener Cobus Meiring told Cape Chamber. 

“A substantial amount of work is created in the process and value chain, and it is set to increase as more land is forested and cleared.” 

 “The demand for wood is always high so it will stimulate the industry and support many others,” Meiring said. 

Underutilised state forests had become an environmental liability due to neglect and resource constraints, Meiring said, adding that the potential disadvantages -- such as damage wrought by wildfires -- outweighed the potential biodiversity gains of returning the areas to natural vegetation.

“There are many who disagree with reforestation, and they are not wrong in terms of water security and biodiversity,” he said.  

“FSC standards will ensure that there will be biodiversity corridors created and maintained free of invasive aliens, and hopefully there will plenty of hectares set aside for that purpose.” 

“Land invasion is perhaps one of the most serious concerns as we see it everywhere where land is not attended to e.g. Knoflokskraal (outside Grabouw). The areas we are talking about is vast and requires security systems to be in place. Arson has become a national sport so there is another concern,” Meiring said. 

Private companies would also bring additional firefighting capacity, which would reduce the spread of wildfires.

The reintroduction of commercial forestry dates back to a 2008 Cabinet decision and a subsequent 2014 Department of Forestry study to map out the process.

The study recommended reforestation of 22 000 hectares, partly to address a shortage of wood and associated job losses at sawmills, pole manufacturers, and other processors.