CARBON & FIRE
CARBON & FIRE
CARBON
Carbon is one of the most astonishing elements on our planet! We find it in the building blocks of all forms of life on Earth; its physical and chemical properties are an integral part of nature and life-sustaining processes that enable us to live.
Stable carbon is naturally stored underground in soil; soil represents one of the most significant and larger of the carbon sinks on Earth. This is significant in the global carbon cycle and in climate change mitigation. Here on Zuka Private Game Reserve our grasslands contribute to significant organic matter which in turn, enhances our important carbon sink.
FIRE
The winter is an important season here for us on the reserve. The dryness of this season creates opportunities in habitat restoration. We monitor vegetation, temperatures, wind and humidity and through this assessment we can put our carefully controlled burns through areas of the reserve to rejuvenate, rebalance and optimise the habitat.
Controlled burning for enhancing habitat quality, means that while these fires release carbon dioxide, they improve the quality of the grasslands overall, for sustaining wildlife and simultaneously increasing the amount of carbon retained in the humic material. Fire, be it applied as a controlled burn or occurring naturally through lightening strikes, also deposits carbon directly back into the soil in the stable form of biochar.
FIRE
The winter is an important season here for us on the reserve. The dryness of this season creates opportunities in habitat restoration. We monitor vegetation, temperatures, wind and humidity and through this assessment we can put our carefully controlled burns through areas of the reserve to rejuvenate rebalance and optimise the habitat.
Controlled burning for enhancing habitat quality, means that while these fires release carbon dioxide, they improve the quality of the grasslands overall, for sustaining wildlife and simultaneously increasing the amount of carbon retained in the humic material. Fire, be it applied as a controlled burn or occurring naturally through lightening strikes, also deposits carbon directly to the soil in the form of biochar which does not significantly degrade back to carbon dioxide.