According to Jenny Grice, volunteer at the Melville Koppies Nature Reserve and Heritage Site, if you visit the Koppies now, you’ll find certain areas that are black from burning.
She shared this was a planned burn to keep the Koppies as grassland. Grasslands are said to have been around for millions of years and fire is a necessity for grasslands she said. “Fire burns the dead material creating ash which sends nutrients to the soil so that plants can regrow and seeds can find a space to lodge themselves, germinate and sprout.”
She added that burning prevented trees from taking over the grassland.
The recent burn has exposed round mounds of compacted soil. “These are the termitary mounds of the snouted termite – the biggest guzzlers of the grass on the Koppies.”
Grice said the mounds ran adjacent to the path and up the hillside. So you should head there and see how many you can spot across the burnt hillside. “And in a few months come back again, walk the same route and see how everything has grown back, greener and stronger.”
