Invaders Must Die

Probably a bit harsh as a heading for a vineyard blog, by I have an infinite hatred towards invading alien plants in our country. Working close to nature I see first hand the devastating effect invading plants have on our biodiversity and ecosystems. These plants just have a different way of growing, different water requirements (most cases much more than indigenous plants) etc. These trees can for instance dry up a riverbed, destroy valuable wetlands, which is very important in keeping water resources clean and filtered.

So, being part of Biodiversity and Wine Initiative, we are trying to do our part in combating the invasive trees on our property. The biggest culprit is the Port Jackson (Acacia saligna), all the way from "Down Under".

This Australian bugger displaces natural vegetation, uses a lot more water than the Fynbos and Renosterveld it drove out, the seeds survive fires and germinate and grow faster than the natural field, suppressing the field after a fire. It currently occupies an area of more than 1 900 000 hectares in South Africa.



We have a few "Rooikrans" (Acacia Cyclops) on the property too, but they will suffer the same fate as the Port Jackson.

That was just a bit of info, here are some photos:

Before

And after (well, sort of, we started on Monday)

We are keeping four trees, because there are birds nesting in them now. They will be cut off at a later stage, and new trees will be introduced to encourage birds to come and breed here.