Forester’s Paradise

Sustaining woodlands the Sappi way

Established in South Africa 85 years ago, Sappi is now the biggest manufacturer of dissolved pulp in the world and recently received the first-ever sustainable forest management certificate for its local forestry operations. To find out more, we journeyed to the Sappi woodlands in Karkloof, Kwazulunatal... in the new Subaru Forester, of course.

The South African division of Sappi Limited was recently awarded the first ever Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) forest management certificate in South Africa. With the newly launched Subaru Forester 2.5is ES CVT on test, it just made sense to us sense to visit Sappi Forests to find out more about the science of sustainable forestry and how this certification was achieved.

This meant a 3,200 km round trip from Cape Town to Kwazulunatal, so we left the Mother City at sparrows. Our destination? Thistledown Country House and the Karkloof Country Club near Howick.

The range-topping Es-model in the long-awaited biggerengine Forester representing the classic Subaru traits of safety, practicality, and adventure. Its direct injection 2.5litre fourcylinder Boxer engine delivers 136 kw, 21 kw more than the 2.0litre engine, and its maximum torque of 239 Nm is 43 Nm higher.

This may not sound like much but on the open road it made a material difference – particularly when overtaking the convoys of trucks on the N1. Mated to the Lineartronic CVT transmission with Subaru Intelligent Drive (Sidrive), torque delivery from the engine was more linear, making it easier to maintain momentum.

Inside the cabin, the eightinch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth connectivity and Apple Carplay/ Android Auto compatibility was easy to use and the rear seat pockets is designed to fit smartphones and tablets alike. In addition, the wide-opening motorised lid made it easy to load our gear into the 520litre, rubberised boot.

With its easy gait at highway pace, Beaufortwest, Richmond, and Hanover sped by, and by lunchtime we were close to Colesberg, with our fuel consumption averaging just under 9 ℓ/100 km (Subaru claims 8.5 ℓ/100 km). In Bloemfontein, we filled up again and at Winburg we

diverted onto the N5 over Senekal and Bethlehem towards Harrismith and the N3.

The Sappi chronicles

Sitting in the comfortable passenger seat, I had time to go over the Sappi chronicles, and what I found was fascinating. Formed in 1936 in South Africa, Sappi has evolved from a traditional pulp and paper company into a diverse business, now operating on six continents, with customers in over 150 countries.

It is the biggest manufacturer of dissolved pulp in the world and its Southern Africa division operates five mills with a combined production capacity of 102 000 m3 of structural lumber, 690 000 tons of paper, 633 000 tons of paper pulp, and over a million tons of dissolving pulp per annum. Almost all production is exported.

We were still about 400 km from our destination when we hit a series of huge thunderstorms but the Symmetrical All-wheel-drive system and Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) with Active Torque Vectoring worked a charm in the wet, slippery conditions.

In the poor visibility conditions the award-winning Eyesight driver assistance system kept us safe but during very heavy downpours and in the huge plumes of spray caused by big truck wheels, it stopped working, as the cameras got covered by streams of water. We were relieved to reach Thistledown, where Norma and Norman Maguire warmly welcomed us.

MTB trails

After a hearty breakfast the next morning, we made our way to the Karkloof Country Club to meet Matthew Drew, a top-notch mountain bike rider involved with the Karkloof Mountain Bike Club, Sappi, and tourism initiatives in the Midlands Meander.

Drew was instrumental in the establishment of the Karkloof MTB Trails in collaboration with Sappi and local landowners. Having explored virtually every inch of Karkloof on his bike, he showed us the best places to access the plantations.

The trails are graded from easy and moderate to advanced, making it popular with professionals and weekend warriors alike … and the Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival, this year (provisionally) scheduled for October, takes place on these routes.

With its huge boot, 220 mm ground clearance, all-wheeldrive, two driver-selectable Xmode programmes (Snow/dirt or D Snow/mud) and Hill Descent Control, the Forester was in its element in this environment.

Our photo session complete, we headed back to Thistledown for a sumptuous lunch and to meet up with Zelda Schwalbach, Sappi Corporate Communications manager for Kwazulunatal, Andrew Pool, Management Forester at Shafton Sappi Forests, and Werner Bosman from the Karkloof Country Club.

Over lunch, Zelda explained the Karkloof Trails project is part of the Sappi Trails Programme initiated a decade ago to formalise the relationship between Sappi and stakeholders who were using Sappi land for mountain biking, walking, and running. The overall aim was to minimise risk while maximising benefits for both trail users and Sappi.

Resulting in a world-class network of trails, it is now a highly valuable feature, benefitting tourism businesses in the area, stimulating job creation, and uplifting local communities.

According to Andrew, approximately 135 000 hectares of woodlands have been set aside to conserve the natural habitat and biodiversity in the forestry areas, including indigenous forests and wetlands.

He added the requirements for sustainable forest management, as set out in the Pefcendorsed SAFAS (Sustainable African Forest Assurance Scheme) standard, also makes forest certification more accessible to small landowners.

According to Werner, the country club is ideally situated to enjoy the recreational activities in the area, as all the routes begin and end there. It is the perfect place to spend a day cycling, running, or walking the trails, and the Forester, aimed at people with active lifestyles, fitted in flawlessly.

The next morning, we tackled the long road back. With glorious weather and much less traffic on route, it was a pleasant journey – and even after spending 14 hours in the car, we were still fresh and relaxed, testimony to the comfort of the electric seats and slick drivetrain.

The only distractions were the over-eager Lane Departure and Pre-collision Throttle Management alerts, sometimes interfering when not expected, and the intrusive engine noise when accelerating hard (due to the CVT). However, after the trip I do understand why owners are so fiercely loyal to the Forester nameplate.

It may be considered bland and slightly bloated but the Forester is honest, able, and reliable – and at R629 000 the new 2.5-model adds more (yet affordable) on-road substance and off-road ability. It is a very pleasant longdistance cruiser.