Table Mountain National Park: Tokai plantation section remains closed!

The Tokai plantation section of the Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town remains closed due to extensive damage from the devastating fire in March 2015. South African National Parks (SANParks) names the following reasons for the continued closure:

• Standing trees that have been burnt or damaged by the fire are extremely dangerous continue to come down without warning in the area.
• Unstable fire damage slopes  result in rock falls
• Winds and rain exacerbate the danger with respect to falling trees, branches, rock falls and mudslides
• Hazardous clear-felling operations of the burnt plantation trees are still underway with intensive harvesting of a number of compartments simultaneously.
• Many of the trails are severely damaged and in some places would need to be rebuilt post clear-felling operations
• Disturbance to surviving animals
• Burnt areas are sensitive as windblown seeds can be damaged and the first emerging plants can be killed by accidental trampling
• Disturbance to sensitive erodible soils
• Rehabilitation of affected areas

The burnt areas in Tokai are continually under assessment by SANParks. Once the area is considered safe and all environmental issues have been addressed, the Tokai plantation section of the Table Mountain National Park will be reopened.