Forests for Life 1: Mistbelt Habitat Restoration Project
Site
Greenpop | Forests for Life | Mistbelt Habitat Restoration Project | Site D - Auckland Restoration
Conservation Natural Forest Reforestation 11,69 ha
Greenpop | Forests for Life | Mistbelt Habitat Restoration Project | Site D - Auckland Restoration

The site is located within Auckland State Forest (-32.607766°, 26.938136°) just south of Hogsback village, in the Amathole District of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Geographically, the site is located on a south-facing ridge, surrounded by indigenous Amathole Mistbelt forest. The proximity of linear infrastructure to the site, in the form of both a road to the north and a major power line intersecting the eastern portion of the site, are key factors affecting the site. With regards to the latter, a wide belt of forest vegetation has been cleared to make way for a power line running from the base of the mountain up to Hogsback village, with vegetation under the power line routinely cleared by Eskom. This disturbance, which has created forest edge conditions intersecting the length of the forest, has likely played a key role in the current invaded state of the site. Of additional importance to note for this site is that, pre-dating the construction of the power line, the area consisted of an open habitat type i.e. non-forest habitat. It is unclear from historic imagery whether the non-forested conditions of this area captured in aerial images from 1949 were natural or due to human disturbance, but given the topographic position of the site, it is likely to be the former. Based on historic imagery available, it appears that woody encroachment of the site, likely as a result of fires suppression, resulted in the once grassland area converting to an invasive tree stand by 1985. This condition has persisted until the current day, with the site presently dominated by a dense, homogenous stand of Acacia melanoxylon (Black Wattle). Given the canopy cover created by this invasive stand, and the proximity of indigenous forests surrounding the site, forest naturalisation, i.e. the process of natural forest expansion into previously unforested habitats, is now underway on the site, albeit at a slow rate as indicated by the low density of forest regeneration under the invasive stand.

Interventions at this site include indigenous tree planting (specifically in the indicated area) and alien vegetation management.