SOUTHERN CAPE NEWS - Dr Jaap Steenkamp, CEO of SA Forestry Contractors Association, wrote this impassioned open letter to George Herald about the dire state of forestry and related industries in the Southern Cape and its severe impact on George, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.
This is an appeal to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to drastically revise its policies to save the industry, a vital part of the Southern Cape economy.
The fires of the recent few years refer - first the Knysna fires (2017) and then the George fires, but also the Tsitsikamma fires. The fires are gone, it is starting to green up again, so for the general public all seems back to normal, but the Garden Route, in particular George, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, are bleeding to death! The economic blood is flowing freely and seemingly everybody fails to see it. It is not business as usual!
Let me explain.
During the George fire, a total of 18 300ha of plantations were devastated by fires which commercial forestry had no part initiating, but forestry played a huge part containing and putting out these fires.
Yield drops by 57%
In the process the regional yield is calculated (not thumb-suck estimated) to have dropped by a whopping 57%. In real terms, the forest industry and primary supply retracted by nearly 60% - in an instant.
This will more than halve forestry related supplies and inputs from the mentioned towns including plant and equipment, vehicles (light to heavy) spares, chainsaws, machine repairs and maintenance, manufacturing work, firefighting vehicles and equipment, and consumable supplies.
Nursery outputs will be halved (exit areas). Weeding and maintenance of fire belts will be halved. (Please start to prepare for the next fiery disaster - it is a few years down the line.)
Severe job losses
The fires destroyed jobs, not only forestry jobs (41 forestry contractors and 32 timber growers), but also at sawmills (over and above the 400 people from Geelhoutvlei sawmill), treating plants, suppliers and engineering / manufacturing outlets. A simple count of the number of affected businesses in George alone number 127.
Geelhoutvlei Timbers was laid to waste in the fires last year, resulting in job losses and a huge impact on the Southern Cape timber industry. Photo: Wessel van Heerden
Timber from hardware outlets and for furniture manufacturing will either not be available or it will be more expensive.
At those entities where jobs are not lost, at the least, sales will drop.
Appeal to Daff
Do we understand the gravity of the situation? In my previous public letter published in the George Herald we had an eloquent response from Daff and to date nothing else. Not even the attending of the early December 2018 meeting to discuss the disaster.
We need a drastic revision of the policies applying to this area. Let us (actually the politicians) stop speaking in vain, but revise the policies now. Some growers declared a force majeure, and yes, it is an emergency situation, so it should be possible to revise these policies.
We need forestry to continue for more than a single pine saw timber rotation, thus approximately for 45 years. We need to postpone exit areas and "handing back to Daff" for this period with no strings attached, especially no political strings as these strings are time-consuming and will remove the bread from many tables in the affected area. Please politicians, where are you now?
Policy changes
You can contact organised forestry and help our region to survive. At this very point in time, commercial forestry needs your support from a policy and financial point of view. The flipside of this coin is huge unemployment, a huge retraction of spend in the area, more poverty and there will be nothing (or a worthless asset) to give to the community. It will most certainly also increase future fire risk.
We need clear thinking for the good of the Southern Cape and to save George and Knysna. The little timber currently remaining is to the east of Knysna. Indeed a deeply worrying situation for our towns.
No progress
Last year, in response to the same plea from Dr Steenkamp, Daff agreed that his proposals "seem" to have merit and "should be acknowledged as possible points for intervention". The department said that large-scale reforestation of the exit areas would be costly and would have a time line well beyond one year. Furthermore, to review a policy change in commercial forestry exit, would take more than one year to complete.
"Adaptive responses to these fire events should assume short, medium and long-term perspectives. The department encourages stakeholders to debate these matters, as Dr Steenkamp is doing through his letter; and to propose viable practical solutions that would yield positive environmental, economic and social results."
Dr Steenkamp's latest letter was sent to Daff for comment and the department was asked what progress has been made with regard to his proposals. We are awaiting their reply.
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