Fire in Forest

Abstract

This chapter deals only with the indigenous forests of South Africa. Bioclimatic studies such as those of Poynton (1971), Phillips (1973) and Schulze and McGee (1978) have described climatic zones suitable for the existence of indigenous forest, the areas of which are greatly restricted in South Africa by low rainfall and in parts, by excessive cold in winter. For the most part the forest zone occurs as a narrow belt around the eastern and southern seaboard of South Africa, extending inland as far as the Great Escarpment (Figure 1). Although the area includes parts of both the summer and winter rainfall areas, the climate for the most part is humid or subhumid. The severity of frost varies from none to severe for relatively short periods. Severe droughts do occur, albeit infrequently (Schulze and McGee 1978). If, however, a comparison is made between the present occurrence of forest and these bioclimatic zones, it appears that very little of this potential is actually realized (Huntley, this volume, chapter 1).