Lessons learnt in the nursery and forest rehabilitation

​The Grootvadersbosch Conservancy is home to three different veld types, one of them is the Afromontane forest. Along the Langberg mountain range these patches occur in an array of sizes. Sadly, like much of the vegetation in the Western Cape, these pockets are threatened by invasive plant species and the expansion of human activities, including agriculture. Where the conditions support forest habitat, we try to re-establish forest species that will eventually assist in restoring some of these afromontane forests.  

Our rehabilitation includes the use of a nursery where we cultivate seedlings and nurture small indigenous plants. We carefully remove a few small tree seedlings from mature and healthy forests, place them in containers and nurture them until they are mature enough to be planted back in the field. There are around 23 different species in our nursery, all irrigated daily and monitored closely by Twakkie (Goliath Highburg), the manager of our nursery.
We asked Twakkie to share some important lessons that he has learnt from his experience with the nursery:

A big issue that he has to deal with on a daily basis is the onslaught of the bushbuck. We treasure and adore our bushbuck. Often, we catch glimpses of them moving through our conservancy, and when we are not viewing them in our forests, we are scrolling through plenty of camera trap images of them. However, they are under the impression that any newly planted seedlings have been introduced just for their consumption. Twakkie has found that they will choose to browse on a newly planted tree from the nursery over an older plant of the same species. Much like us, they like new fresh food! The following list are some of the different ways that Twakkie tries to deter them:

• Once a seedling has been planted, he covers the plant with human hair. The smell of the human hair deters them from eating the plant!
• He sometimes places a cage-like structure made of chicken wire around the seedlings to prevent the bushbuck from being able to access the plant. However, this is quite a costly option and not suitable in all situations.
• He has found some success in planting seedlings in between long grass to stop the bushbuck. They are mainly browsers and will not find the hidden plants. If your rehabilitation site has long grass you will be at an advantage!
• Twakkie will often wait until the seedlings are large. Their larger size means they are stronger and can with stand the bushbuck’s onslaught. 

Here are some other general lessons that he has learnt:

• When he removes seedlings from the forests, he takes some soil from the spot where the seedlings were to ensure the original soil microbes are present when he replants them in our nursery.
• To water or not to water? Many plant cultivators debate about spoiling your seedlings in your nursery. Irrigating them extensively could lead to their demise once planted out due to the change in water quantity. Is it true? Twakkie sticks to a technique of not spoiling them by providing them with daily water but not over watering.
• Twakkie has learnt that allowing a plant to grow bigger in the nursery and then planting it out once it is more mature is often better than planting it out as a small seedling. It has a greater chance of surviving.
• Once the plant is ready, Twakkie will dig a large well around the newly planted seedling and replace the soil. He compacts the soil well to remove any air bubbles.  
• Our pockets of Afromontane forest can differ slightly in species composition. Twakkie ensures that any seedlings taken from one forest cluster are replanted in the rehabilitation sites surrounding it.
• Another crucial factor is to plant seedlings out at the correct time of year. We cannot actively water our rehabilitation sites and so its important to plant seedlings when they are more likely to get rain and when it is cooler, which is the autumn months (April-June).
• Twakkie tries to follow the natural succession of forests. Sites will have their alien invasive species removed and the area will be burnt (a cool burn is best). The area then rests, allowing nature to select the best forest species to return naturally. He plants out pioneer species to speed up the recovery and from there allows the forests to grow a secondary community and finally a climax community.

 
While we do plant out seedlings from our nursery, Twakkie has also found that nature is often the best rehabilitator and we can simply help to support this process. Instead of actively planting seedlings from a nursery, it may be best to focus on protecting clusters of adult trees close to a cleared area. Birds or baboons will eat the seeds from these mature trees and disperse the seeds. Over time, the tree species will germinate and the forest will return, naturally. Ensuring that the area remains clear of invasive plants and giving nature a chance to recover may be more effective and less costly than actively trying to propagate and plant out tree seedlings. Twakkie has also been involved in rehabilitation where we maintain a canopy of mature invasive trees that provide a pioneer environment to shelter the young tree seedlings that have naturally germinated. Over time, the indigenous trees become more dominant and the invasive trees are then slowly removed.  

We are learning new things every day and there is no clear recipe for successful forest rehabilitation. These are just some of his lessons from our area. Comment below on what lessons you have learnt, we are always looking for new and interesting ways to aid our success! Any advice would be appreciated.