Before Europeans settled the Eastern Cape highland district of Barkly East, there were no trees to speak of except maybe the shrub-like ouhout. But during the 20th century, farmers planted numerous exotic trees to help control the impact of wind and erosion and to produce fruit and firewood.
Therefore, today, several exotic tree species can be found on De Hoek, of which only the deciduous false acacia (native to North America) was being stripped of bark in mid-2022.
IDENTIFYING POSSIBLE SUSPECTS
At first, I thought warthogs could be responsible for the bark-stripping. Recent arrivals to the farm, they are non-endemic to the Eastern Cape, where their numbers are now booming.
They were introduced into the area during the 1970s, based on archaeological evidence that warthogs were once found in the province. Since then, they have bred and spread uncontrollably across the Eastern Cape and beyond.
This story is from the October 06, 2023 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
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This story is from the October 06, 2023 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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