Preamble

Our plantations are managed on a commercially sustainable basis on a optimal saw-log rotation of between 25 and 30 years. Management decisions are governed by the principles of, sustainable forestry management, which incorporates the three pillars of sustainable development namely, economic, social and environmental considerations.

Although the SLM Group’s plantations are not FSC accredited, by choice they are managed taking into account the South African Code of Practise, the South African Forestry Industry Environmental Guidelines, as well as the Codes incorporated within the FSC Principles of Sustainable Forestry Management.

History and Scope of the Softwood Forestry Sector in the Limpopo Province

The first plantations were planted in the Limpopo in the early part of the 20th century in what was the old Transvaal.

The motivation for this was the supply the growing needs for timber for the building industries of the area as well as the demand from the rapidly developing Witwatersrand Gold Fields which had been sourcing much timber from indigenous forest sources.

SLM is mainly involved in the growing of softwood (Pine) for processing into lumber for the structural market in South Africa. The total planted area of softwoods in Limpopo is approximately 25000 Ha. SLM owns and leases 2,000 planted Ha of mainly softwood plantations and manages another 3,000 Ha on behalf of other private growers.

Geographically forestry areas are linked to the high rainfall areas of the Limpopo Escarpment. Stevens Lumber Mills’ plantations are mainly situated around the village of Haenertsburg and Magoebaskloof.

Mission

We are a forestry organisation, managing our plantations on a sustainable basis to ensure quality logs with a high value to sawmills.

We also offer the following turnkey services to other growers: information and advice, including map-work;

Silvicultural services, including: site preparation, planting, pruning and weed control; harvesting services, including: thinning and clearfelling;

Fire prevention and fire fighting, including: manning of fire towers, weather reports, firebreak preparation and fire fighting teams, though our skilled people, with the technology needed to meet customer standards.

Forestry Environmental Policy

As custodians, for future generations, we are responsible for the protection, conservation and wise utilization of the land under our control.

We will strive to ensure that the land is managed for the sustainable economic growth within the framework of the Forestry Stewardship Council and Integrated Environmental Management principles. To this end we will strive for good environmental conservation practises to be included as the accepted norm in the carrying out of our daily forestry tasks and long term planning.

Silvicultural Operations

Silvicultural operations relate to the physical farming of the trees over the chosen rotation in place per compartment and help to maximise the return in both volume yield and quality of the final product.

Planting

This is the beginning of the process that takes at least 25 years to complete and thus is imperative that this is carried out to give the trees the maximum chance of optimal growth.

Site preparation - site preparation is carried out as soon after the harvesting of a compartment is completed and in most cases informal firewood collectors have removed offcuts and larger branches from the area. At this stage the remaining residue is broadcast over the area and will over time break down and return as nutrient to the soil, it will also act as a barrier to both water and wind erosion in the interim until the new trees grow large enough. Although we tend not to burn plantation residue any longer as there are many negatives attached to this, there are some cases where burning still remains necessary. Burning would happen where the residue load is for a reason very heavy in a specific compartment and would constitute a serious wild fire hazard. If burning does take place the burn would only be carried out in optimal conditions to ensure a cool burn with the resultant minimum damage to the soil structure in the area burnt.

Seedlings - It is of utmost importance that seedlings are of optimal genetic make up, free of diseases and are compatible to the area to be planted. SLM only sources seedlings from a certified commercial nursery which fulfils all the requirements necessary to ensure strong, healthy plants.

Planting - SLM uses the standard planting espacement of 2.7m x 2.7m. Although there are other espacements used by some of the larger forestry companies we have found that the extra costs relating to the physical planting are negated by the quicker closing of the canopy and thus natural weed suppression by the trees themselves as well as a better volume return per Ha over the rotation.

Planting is carried out in as far as possible in optimal conditions (with rain) and takes place mainly between November and March. Again depending on site and weather conditions we will use puddle planting methods, mulching and follow-up watering. Some winter plantings also take place. Planting is a manual operation and is carried out by the teams made up of both men and woman who are trained in the operation and supervised through all aspects of the planting operation.

Weed Control

Weed control is carried out to ensure minimised competition and thus allow optimal growth of the young seedlings. Weed control also takes place in older compartments as well as in conservation areas on an ongoing basis.

Methods - There are a number of weed control methods employed which include slashing, hoeing, pulling and herbicide applications. Herbicide applications are carried out by properly trained and equipped teams and are only carried out in a responsible manner with due concern of environmental and health issues.

Types - Most of our weed types are invader species which are now integrated into our environment. The main weed types we have to contend with are American Bramble, Wattle, Bug Weed, Mauritius Thorn and Lantana.

Pruning

To ensure the highest quality standard of the logs that we produce we prune the trees at the optimal age to ensure a 100mm core diameter and that the pruning is carried out on live branches to ensure tight knots, Trees are pruned manually to 1.5m at age 4 years, 3m at age 6 years and 5m+ at age 8 years.

Diseases and Pests

There are a number of diseases and pests that affect the growth and contribute to the mortality of our trees within the plantations. Many of the problems we have learnt to live with and accept that they are part of the cost of the tree farming. These include buck eating the growing tips of young plants and Baboons and Samango Monkeys ring-barking older trees when stripping the bark to eat. In young compartments we build perches for Raptors to help control mice populations.

Fusarium Circinatum, a root disease, has become a major problem in some forestry areas in South Africa. Although it occurs naturally in our soils the problem arises when it is brought in from the nursery in the young seedlings. This is also why we only use accredited suppliers of seedlings. Other major pests such as the Sirex Wood Wasp have not effected us in Limpopo yet. Much debate is taking place within the industry relating to the effects of climate change and the resultant increase or change in pest and diseases affecting forestry areas.

Thinning

To ensure maximum diameter increment of the trees, compartments are thinned as follows:

At 8 years down to 750 stems / Ha; 13 years to 500 stems / Ha and 18 years to 350 stems / Ha. These operations remove weaker, damaged or malformed trees as well as ensuring an even spread of the remaining trees over the compartment. Thinnings also serve as an important source of income over the period of a rotation.

Conservation Zones

These include vlei areas and riparian zones, indigenous forests and other areas that have not been planted and remain as natural bush or grasslands. These areas are managed to ensure that they remain in their natural state as far as possible and that invasive species are kept under control. SLM is represented on local conservation forums and strives to work in harmony with conservation groups.

Harvesting

Although thinnings are part of the silvicultural regime relating to maximising the growth of the trees, the removal of the trees to be thinned is part of the harvesting operation.

The main harvesting operation takes place at the clearfelling stage and constitutes + 80% of the round log yield over the rotation period. SLM uses a mixture of forestry skidders and agricultural tractors to extract the felled timber to roadside where it is then stacked by “Bell” loaders ready for transport to the primary processors.

Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting

SLM puts much effort into fire prevention by the identification of risk areas and the preparation of fire belts. We man 3 fire lookout towers during the fire season on a 24 hour basis and have rapid attack fire fighting teams on standby during the same period. These teams can react to reported smoke sightings with minimum delay. Our fire fighting teams are well trained and well equipped. SLM also works closely with the Goverment sponsored Working on Fire Teams and the Northern Team (Soutpansberg Area) is based on one of our properties. SLM Foresters are also well represented on local fire fighting structures and Fire Protection Associations.

Our Commitment to the Community

SLM is sincerely committed to our local communities. We are involved in the helping of schools in the area with funding, maintenance projects and logistical support. We also help in the funding of local NGO’s and community structures. We further allow the use of the facilities on our properties to be used for adventure racing, mountain biking and realated outdoor activities.