30 more sleeps until the Hogsback Festival of Trees…

(Re)connect with your family.

Photograph by Kate Janse Van Rensburg

So why Hogsback you may ask? Well, this specific region is considered to be a biodiversity hotspot and home to a host of incredible plant and animal species. However, over the years the predominance of the invasive plants such as the Black Wattle, Pine and Blackwood has increased and resulted in the reduction of indigenous habitat. The aim of the Hogsback Festival of Trees is to restore a large swathe of indigenous forest. As such, our work in this area follows an alternative approach to alien vegetation management and land restoration which calls for a ‘thinning’ of alien trees followed by a dense tree planting. This method allows us to reestablish vital waterways as well as appropriate conditions for natural vegetation to regenerate.

When you are finished planting baby trees, you might be interested in visiting Hogsback’s famous ‘Big Tree’. This giant Yellowwood stands at a towering 36.6 metres tall and is 800 years old! What better way to feel young than to stand under its branches? This tree is also home to many different species, including an abundance of birds such as the Narina Trogan, Orange Thrush and Bush Cap. And, if you are super lucky you might even see the endemic Cape Parrot high up in the Yellowwood trees cracking fruit kernels and hard nuts with its large beak.