Proteaceae juvenile periods and post‐fire recruitment as indicators of minimum fire return interval in eastern coastal fynbos
-
Published source details
Kraaij T., Cowling R.M., Wilgen B.W. & Schutte‐Vlok A. (2013) Proteaceae juvenile periods and post‐fire recruitment as indicators of minimum fire return interval in eastern coastal fynbos. Applied Vegetation Science, 16, 84-94.
Published source details Kraaij T., Cowling R.M., Wilgen B.W. & Schutte‐Vlok A. (2013) Proteaceae juvenile periods and post‐fire recruitment as indicators of minimum fire return interval in eastern coastal fynbos. Applied Vegetation Science, 16, 84-94.
Actions
This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
| Action | Category | |
|---|---|---|
|
Allow shrubland to regenerate without active management Action Link |
 |
-
Allow shrubland to regenerate without active management
A replicated, before-and-after study in 1996–2011 in two fynbos sites in South Africa (Kraaij et al. 2013) that had previously been burned found that allowing the sites to recover without any active management led to an increase in the height of three protea species. At one site Leucadendron eucalyptifolium and forest sugarbush Protea mundii were taller six years after burning (L. eucalyptifolium: 140 cm, forest sugarbush: 127 cm) than one year after burning (L. eucalyptifolium: 62 cm, forest sugarbush: 62 cm). At the other site oleanderleaf protea Protea neriifolia were taller after 15 years (148 cm) than 10 years after burning (92 cm). One of the sites was burned in a prescribed fire and the other in a wildfire. The height of 100 seedlings of oleanderleaf protea was recorded in April 1996 at one site and the height of 100 L. eucalyptifolium and forest sugarbush seedlings was recorded in 2008 at the other. Plant height was recorded annually until 2011.
(Summarised by: Phil Martin)
