A strategy for bush encroachment control

In a previous article on the encroachment of sweet thorn (Vachellia karroo) in the Eastern Cape (see FW, 31 July 2020), it was stated that the encroachment of sweet thorn and other bush species is adversely affecting the production potential of large tracts of rangelands in the Eastern Cape, reducing the profitability and sustainability of livestock production. The article concluded that if bush encroachment continued unchecked, the damage might become irreversible.

Sweet thorn competes with grazing plants for light and water, and starts to suppress grass production at a density above 300 tree equivalents (TE) per hectare.

One TE is equal to a tree with a height of 1,5m. The availability of grass for grazers such as cattle and sheep is therefore negatively affected at bush densities above