The burning questions about Hluhluwe : causes and consequences of a severe wildfire
The biophysical drivers of fire; ignition, fire weather conditions, fuel biomass, and flammability, differ in varying ecosystems. The rates of occurrence of these factors influence fire regimes. This study investigated the causes and consequences of a severe wildfire that swept through the Hluhluwe Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal South Africa in September 2008. This fire was an extreme event that seems only to have been possible due to the combination of circumstances that occurred in the days prior to and during the 14th/15th September 2008. The event was considered extreme because it burnt from savanna into thicket and forest patches, which is atypical of fires. The fire caused large structural change in tree demography, however, not much change in densities. The results of this study indicate that coupled weather conditions conducive to fire; namely low relative humidity, high temperatures and high wind speeds, occurred at the time of the fire. The synergistic influences of fire weather conditions and the state of available fuel caused this severe fire. The fire continued to bum for 48 hours before weather conditions relaxed and became less dangerous. These data suggest extreme fires such as the September 2008 event may be exploited by managers to reclaim former grasslands and savannas that have suffered the effects of bush encroachment and/or create open areas allowing grasslands to develop. However, severe fires run the risk of leading to the loss of forests and the biodiversity that they support. This study has identified the conditions likely to promote such severe fires.
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