2019 FORESTRY FUN BUCKET LIST
Forestry South Africa (FSA) has just launched an online recreational map, hosted on the www.
forestryexplained.co.za. The tool is ideal for when the travel bug bites, when you need family-friendly accommodation or a quiet weekend away from the city life. The new interactive map details the myriad of activities and attractions that are found on forestry-owned land around the country.
Around 30% of forestry-owned land is unplanted and a large proportion is set aside for dedicated conservation. These include vast swaths of grasslands, riverine ecosystems and indigenous forests. Besides their obvious conservation value, these areas provide ample recreational opportunities on top of what is provided by the plantation forests themselves.
Whether it is trail running, hiking and mountain biking adventures you seek, or serene days spent bird watching, picnicing and taking in spectacular views, forestry-owned land has something to offer you.
The Forestry Explained recreational map makes accessing these activities and attractions easy. It showcases eco-activities of forestry companies and private individuals in one user-friendly recreational guide. Its interactive nature allows people to explore what’s on offer, along with the important information for the perfect forestry day out. Forestry South Africa (FSA) is South Africa’s largest forestry organisation representing growers of timber in South Africa. Membership includes all 11 active corporate forestry companies, approximately 1,300 commercial timber farmers and some 20,000 small scale growers who between them own or control no less than 93% of the total plantation area in the country. The international Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) has certified more than 80% of the country’s land reserved for plantation forestry, making South Africa’s forestry industry the most certified in the world. Some 25% of this land is not planted to trees. Instead, it is conserved for biodiversity in the form of grasslands, wetlands, indigenous forests and savannah. www.forestry.co.za