The selective use of prescribed burning inside plantation stands not only proved to be a cost-effective management tool for fire protection purposes, but was also used to introduce fuel reduction programmes where previously only the use of slash burning after clearfelling could be considered to reduce fuels. Eucalyptus grandis , Pinus patula and Pinus radiata stands were sometimes also used for this purpose, but because these trees are more susceptible to fire damage, they could only be incorporated at older age, restricting prescribed burning application potential. However, in P.patula stands, further burning experiments are now being conducted first to determine the possible use of prescribed burning. Pine plantations embedded in fire-prone environments, such as the fynbos ecosystems, are subjected to extreme wildfire risk without proper fuel management. Fires occurring at the wildland-urban interface are a common problem in Southern Africa and involve a high risk of property losses.
Water is a scarce commodity in Africa.
The new system has also been used to advantage to correct wrong fire belt placement, to benefit both maximum water flow and optimum fire protection. Conclusions Practical application of the new, flexible, methods to improve fire protection have resulted in a few exciting success stories in Southern Africa over the last four to five years. Use of the new regional approach, and the application of a fuel modelling base, are now also being considered in various other Southern African regions. The direct and indirect financial implications of the new system are substantial, but training and applied fire-related research will also have to form an integral part of the application of the new techniques. References Burgan, R.E., and R.C.Rothermel. 1984.