Driving over Chappies after the fire, is a mixture of emotions. The smell of smoke and fire is still strong, you can taste smoke in the back of your throat and you do those little irritating coughs, because you throat is scratchy and uncomfortable. Soot and ash clings to your toes but it is the visual devastation at the wasteland on the slopes and the charred remains that wrenches the heart. Despite the sadness to see the barren desert-like landscape on Chapman’s Peak Drive, we know that it is not a disaster for the fynbos.
Fire is great for the fynbos! It won’t be long before the slopes of Chappies are more beautiful than ever! Fire is essential for fynbos. Many fynbos species are dependant on fire for pro-creation. Without fire, fynbos as we know it, would become extinct. The ash also brings essential minerals back to the soil. Only for a short while after a fire the landscape looks black and bleak. The first fire-lilies surface in the first weeks after a fire, followed by countless other bulbs, resprouting shrubs and seedlings. In spring, the land is fully covered with vegetation and the plants start to compete for space. Controlled fires are essential for fynbos rehabilitation.
See article on fynbos and fire HERE
Chapman’s Peak Drive Toll Plaza Office Hours:
The Toll Plaza is open Monday – Friday from 08h00 – 17h00 for registration as a Frequent User.
Address: Toll Plaza, Chapman’s Peak Drive, Hout Bay, Cape Town
Plaza Tel: 021 791 8220
