Moffat Mungazi
Lovemore Kadzura
Post Reporter
WATTLE Company suffered devastating losses last year when massive veld fires ravaged 1 500 hectares of its plantations, resulting in a staggering US$2,8 million worth of damage.
The 2024 fire season was unprecedented, with blazes not seen in 20 years, leaving producers reeling, amid nationwide shortage of seeds for replanting.
Wattle Company managing director, Mr Douglas Mautsa said the company is investing in cutting-edge technology to safeguard its estates against timber poachers and fires.
Mr Mautsa said the fires were not deliberate, citing the company’s amicable relationships with the local communities where its plantations are situated.
He attributed the source of the devastating fire to the nearby Nyanga National Park.
“Fires have been a persistent problem for us. We experienced a significant fire in 2005, but last year’s blazes were catastrophic. The loss of resources valued at US$2, 8 million will have a lasting impact, meaning in the coming years we will suffer from that gap and shortage of resources.
“The fires have severely depleted our biological assets, as reflected on our balance sheet. They destroyed newly planted trees, pruned areas, and future harvests. In Nyanga alone, we lost 1 500 hectares last year – a staggering loss,” he said.
In response to the disaster, Wattle Company is accelerating its planting operations. “We urgently need to source seeds and establish nurseries. Unfortunately, seeds are in short supply locally, forcing us to import some from South Africa. Our goal is to replant 2 000 hectares in Nyanga, and we are confident that we can bridge the gap,” he said.
“As Wattle Company, we have a very cordial relationship with communities where we operate. The huge fires that affected us in 2024 had nothing to do with arson. These were fire-jumps from other properties, from people preparing their fields for tillage. Most of the fires last year were natural ones that came mainly from Nyanga National Park.
“We are investing in technologies for surveillance of our plantations. We are installing cameras in the forests, and increase the concentration of our surveillance agencies, fire towers, while mobile teams will be patrolling around the estates. This is meant to control cases of fires and timber thefts,” said.
Timber Producers Federation chief executive officer, Mr Darlington Duwa said though fire statistics are still being compiled, they witnessed increased incidents of forest fires last year.
“Currently companies are submitting last year’s fire statistics for validation. We will release them at later stage. In general, the last season had more fires than the previous seasons,” said Mr Duwa.
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