Fires in KNP

[Peter Betts]

Kruger National Park
@SANParksKNP
Brush burning stunning captures from earlier on this winter in #KNP. All shall be renewed and will regrow when the new season arrives!
11:53 AM · Jul 16, 2020

Apart from that magnificent Knobthorn tree trashed after 300 yrs of growth

[RogerFraser]

There appears to have been extensive burns during lockdown Pretorius/Skukuza/Lower Sabie/Crock Bridge many blocks are currently black so hopefully the rains come soon .We did not have time to go higher up . Guess without public in the park they could get more burns done

[Richprins]

Lots of rain the last couple of days!

[Lisbeth]

The rain has arrived early this year. Let's hope that it is going to continue

[Lisbeth]

August Brings Big Fires to Southern Kruger


By Melissa Wray In Kruger National Park

Almost half of the southern section of the Kruger National Park has been burnt, with the month of August seeing a large fire in the Pretoriuskop area. Currently, almost three-quarters of the land in the Pretoriuskop section of the park has been consumed by lightning-induced flames. Prior to August, only 17 percent of the land in this section had been burnt.

Much of the southern section of the park fell prey to fire in August, with the area of burnt land increasing least in Lower Sabie (by eight percent) and most in Pretoriuskop (56 percent increase). Stolznek, Skukuza, Malelane and Crocodile Bridge in the southern section of Kruger all experienced fires, as well as Satara in the central section and Mahlangeni in the northern region.

This time of year is considered to be the worst for hot, wild fires. High temperatures, low humidity and high berg winds produce ideal conditions to fan flames in the tinderdry grass. Until the first rains fall and the veld starts to green, section rangers in the park will be increasingly watchful for smoke plumes.

Around the entire park, about 20 percent of the surface area has been burnt, with many of the fires in the central, northern and far northern sections being planned burns started by section rangers earlier in the year. Every year, park management uses data gathered from over 520 vegetation monitoring sites to determine where and what percentage of the park should be burnt.

Only if the preceding years' rainfalls have produced grass coverage of over four tons per hectare are burns considered to be ecologically necessary in Kruger. When the year's fire regime has been worked out, section rangers set fires at the beginning of winter in chosen locations to break up the veld into a patchmosaic.

This scattering of burnt and unburnt sections acts a means of preventing unplanned runaway veld fires that may occur later in the season. Burning early in the year also makes for a cooler fire, which is less likely to turn saplings into stunted, multi-stem trees. At this time of year, lightning storms and illegal immigrants travelling through the park are major cause of fires.

However, many of the August fires in the central and northern sections of the park were set by rangers, while the Pretoriuskop fire and others in the southern section were started by lightning. Section rangers provide information about the extent of burning in an area and source of fire. Satellite images are also used to map the location and size of fires.

MODIS satellite images are downloaded twice a day, and subjected to analysis that reveals burnt patches. If a fire is noted on the satellite image that a ranger has not spotted, the ranger goes out to the location and 'ground truths' the digital information. This is then compiled into a database and digital maps are kept in the fire ecology section of scientific services.

Statistics kept for this year show that at the end of August, less than one percent of the far north of the park had been burnt. Approximately 10 percent of the northern region, almost 16 percent of the central region, and 49.3 percent of the southern region had been blackened by flames. Fire ecology programme manager Navashni Govender says that the amount of rain falling in the previous two years has the greatest effect on how much of the park burns in a given year.

[Richprins]

REF: KNP-9/2/2 – (21)
Monday, 17 May 2021
MEDIA RELEASE (Fire) 1 of 1
For Immediate Release
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK PREPARES FOR THE WINTER FIRE SEASON
The Kruger National Park (KNP) today, 17 May 2021 announced their management plans in anticipation of the coming winter fire season which usually takes place between June and October. Fires are a common and natural occurrence in KNP which is found within the Savanna biome (also referred to as Tropical Grasslands), and like the Fynbos biome (Cape Floristic Region), is dependent on fires to keep the ecosystem functioning in a healthy manner.
Savanna plant species have evolved with fires and some even rely on and are shaped by regular burning of the veld. Research has shown that regardless of the fire management strategy (namely active use of fire as veld management tool or active fire suppression), fires will burn in KNP as long as there is enough grass to burn. This is because fires are primarily driven by how much grass is available (also known as fuel load). Fuel load is dependent on how much rainfall fell in the preceding growing season. KNP has experienced an exceptionally wet growing season this past summer, and the veld has responded by producing high fuel loads. We are therefore anticipating a lot more fires this winter.
Usually, less than 10% of KNP burns every year but as a result of the very wet rainy season, it is expected that roughly 20% of the Park will burn this year. “A large proportion of this will be controlled burns conducted by our Rangers; but it is likely that we will also have unscheduled fires during the course of the year and these will be managed as they occur. We record, monitor and map all fires which burn in KNP using advanced satellite technology” explained KNP General Manager of Communications, Isaac Phaahla.
The high fuel loads increase the risk of large wildfires burning late in the dry season between August and October. Therefore, KNP has begun securing its firebreaks around infrastructure such as camps, staff quarters, entry gates and other key assets, as well as burning and grading firebreaks along the Park’s boundary. Furthermore, Rangers and Scientists are currently burning early season fires to help break up the fuel load in the veld and reduce the risk of wildfires burning over large areas of the park.
“KNP has been part of the Greater Kruger Fire Protection Association (FPA) for roughly a decade; which allows for greater communication and administrative support for the use of fires as a management tool and to promote fire safety within and around KNP. Proactive fire management by reducing fuel load, burning firebreaks and preparing a well-trained and equipped team of personnel will allow us to be better prepared for this year’s fire season”; concluded Phaahla.

[Lisbeth]

If you say so

[RogerFraser]

SHR@Home Webinar Series - July 7th 2021

firepic.jpg (17.93 KiB) Viewed 612 times

Navashni Govender – “Fire: A Necessary Evil for KNP Management”
Hosted jointly by South African National Parks (SANParks) and the SANParks Honorary Rangers

Fires in the Kruger National Park can spark heated debate. Do they harm or do they help?

Our Webinar on 7 July will provide some cooling facts about the complexities of fire dynamics in the KNP. How can fires be managed for ecological, social, and economic sustainability within this fire dependent savanna ecosystem?

Navashni Govender has over 20 years of experience as a savannah fire ecologist in South Africa and is the Senior Manager for Conservation in the Kruger National Park.

Her presentation will highlight the collective (and extensive) research, understanding and knowledge of fire dynamics in the Kruger National Park, giving us valuable insight into the socio-economic, climatic and ecological complexities of this subject.

Please join us for this highly informative and thought-provoking talk.

If you have any questions for Navashni, please send them in advance to shr.at.home@sanparksvolunteers.org

You are invited to a Zoom webinar. SHR@Home - Fires in Kruger

When: July 7th 2021 06:00 PM Johannesburg

Register in advance for this webinar by clicking on the link below

Fires in Kruger https://emea01.safelinks.protection.out ... reserved=0

If you are not a SANParks Honorary Ranger, please use 8000 as the HR number and your town as the region.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. The webinar will be available to members via Zoom and we will share it with the public via our main Facebook page.

Please feel free to invite friends and family to watch.
https://www.facebook.com/SANParksHonoraryRangers.

[Richprins]

[Lisbeth]

Could be interesting