Fuel Properties of Vegetation in Swartboskloof

Abstract

The fuel properties of natural vegetation, and their dynamics, influence the occurrence of fires to a large degree. They also govern the nature of fires, and therefore, to some extent, their effects. Ecologists are interested in fuel properties for a variety of reasons. The most important of these are to reconstruct a plausible fire regime under which the biota evolved and to which they are currently subjected, as well as to provide the necessary inputs for predicting fire behaviour under a variety of weather conditions. Such predictions, combined with an understanding of how fire behaviour determines the response of the biota, are a powerful means of enhancing vegetation management through the use of fire. Fynbos is regarded as a highly flammable vegetation type (Kruger and Bigalke 1984). Despite this, little is known about the fuel characteristics of fynbos and how they affect the spread and intensity of fires.