The Use of Fire as a Management Tool

Abstract

Fire is widely accepted as being a valuable tool in the management of natural vegetation. It is a resource modifier (Cutler 1979) and can be used to change the composition of vegetation and its cover or to maintain plant communities in a certain stage of succession. So too in South Africa, where fire has, it would seem, played a role in determining the nature of vegetation for many hundreds of years (chapters 3 and 4). Not unexpectedly, therefore, it has continued to be used by farmers and others in the management of this vegetation. Here its use must be dictated by the desired objectives, the known reaction of the plant communities to burning, the management systems into which it is to be incorporated and by the local legislation pertaining to the use of fire. Previous chapters have dealt with the reaction of plant communities to fire and this chapter will deal with three specific aspects viz the objectives of burning, the incorporation of fire into some management systems and fire legislation.