TokaiMTB Update: Possible earlier access?

[raptor-22]

Oh come now, is this the next moan? it as R50 before the fire. Now the have to make back some money 

[DJR]

R110 to ride your road bike into Cape Point. A bit nuts if you ask me. Last time I told them to sell my ticket to a tourist!

[Flowta]

Oh come now, is this the next moan? it as R50 before the fire. Now the have to make back some money

It all goes to Pretoria anyway

[Flowta]

What's the price of an activity card now? Have they back-tracked on their statement that they wouldn't go through with the proposed increase?

[Eddy Gordo]

Much more worthwhile to ride tygerberg trails. 

[Eddy Gordo]

And the trails are mtb specific only, so no people walking or running.

[raptor-22]

factor in travel cost...

[Eddy Gordo]

factor in travel cost...

yep depends where you stay. I am more or less in between the 2

[Thermophage]

And a shoutout to the old Tokai... Sniff. 

Ya...oh how much longer will we wait...I need a place to ride after work in winter time!

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Ya...oh how much longer will we wait...I need a place to ride after work in winter time!

Patience - the wheels are turning. We're pushing for earlier access, and a partial roll-out of openings. EMP should be out for public comment in the next few days...

 

As an analogy, we've built up the boost. We're now waiting for the lights. 

[Thermophage]

Patience - the wheels are turning. We're pushing for earlier access, and a partial roll-out of openings. EMP should be out for public comment in the next few days...

 

As an analogy, we've built up the boost. We're now waiting for the lights. 

Unfortunately coming from the climbing community and trying to deal with TMNP I know how these EMP things go...so can't say I'm particularly optimistic

 Ihave this dilema where I work right next to Tokai but live right next to Majik forest...so summer time riding is easy,...Winter...too dark by the time i get home

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Unfortunately coming from the climbing community and trying to deal with TMNP I know how these EMP things go...so can't say I'm particularly optimistic

 Ihave this dilema where I work right next to Tokai but live right next to Majik forest...so summer time riding is easy,...Winter...too dark by the time i get home

It was delayed from the original December release, by the request of Parks to include the Glen, Cork Tree Trail & perimeter trail in the scope of the EMP for MTB purposes

 

Yes, Parks' request. 

[DJR]

I thought some of the Tokai lovers will find this interesting. Perhaps it will open some cyclists eyes to the fact that Tokai is about more than just cycling trails. This article is mostly about Lower Tokai, but applies to the upper parts too, although the vegetation type is somewhat different. (Sorry if it's a bit long.)

 

Tokai's new lease on life: the return of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos
Tokai Forest has been known for its pine plantations, but this precious landscape is slowly but surely changing for the better. Images by Arnold Ras
Once a shady and dense forest of pine trees (Pinus radiata), the Tokai section of the Table Mountain National Park is being described as a conservation success story. Since most of the pines here have been harvested, the systematic restoration of the area, with the help of the Tokai Seedbank Project, has given new life to a critically endangered vegetation type. By Arnold Ras
“The Tokai section is actually very special,” explains Nosipho Tyagana, Junior Scientist: Restoration Ecology at SANParks’ Cape Research Centre in Tokai. “It first came to attention back in 1998 when there was an accidental fire at Lower Tokai next to Orpen Road and the area burnt down. Some plant enthusiasts went to have a look and found endangered species. Upon further investigation they realised it was the critically endangered vegetation type, Cape Flats Sand Fynbos.”

When SANParks took over management of the Tokai Forest from Cape Pine in 2007, they decided to transform the area with one very important goal in mind: to restore this endangered veld type. Only 11% of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos is left, but the biggest challenge? Less than 1% of this vegetation type is protected.

SANParks’ decision to remove the pines led to a public outcry from cyclists, horse riders, hikers and nature lovers, who flock to Tokai to enjoy the shade. What the public didn’t realise is that pines hide a destructive secret …  

Underneath pine trees
Nosipho, with the assistance of fellow researchers Carly Cowell and Nicola van Wilgen, spearheads the Tokai Seedbank Project. Their research aim? To discover what seeds are present in the soil that has been dominated by pines since the 1800s. “Under pines you’ll find very poor diversity in terms of animals and plants. The shade the pines produce encourage little growth – the area is basically dead. And the dense litter of the pine’s needles do not allow for anything to grow in [the trees’] proximity. No other plants mean no insects, no insects mean nothing that will prey on the insects, and very few bird species.”

When Nosipho took me on a tour to see the transformation for myself, I was stunned. Looking at Tokai Forest’s picnic area, still covered in pines, and restored vegetation a few metres away, the difference is marked. The restored sections are alive with the sounds of bees and other insects pollinating plants and finding food. We even spotted a black-headed heron, and Nosipho says there are visitor reports of duikers.

Flora lovers can now marvel at the 108 threatened Cape Flats Sand Fynbos plant species, of which 16 are found nowhere else on earth. Unfortunately, six species of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos are already extinct in the wild.

The pine harvesting process was supposed to stretch over a 20 to 25 year period, but SANParks’ timeline got unexpectedly overturned in March 2015 when wildfires destroyed most of the remaining pines. “The wildfires swept through almost everything, completely razing the upper section of the Tokai Forest. The timeline was shortened to six months. This is indeed a very interesting time for this precious area and its fynbos.”

Tokai Seedbank Project
To do research on the soil beneath the pines was a time- and labour-intensive process. Nosipho and a team of researchers collected 60 random soil samples – between five and ten centimetres deep – using a soil core. The soil was placed in paper bags so as not to suffocate any seeds and transported to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). There the soil samples were cleared of woody debris and transferred into planting trays that had a layer of sterilised bark and silica. They were then placed in a greenhouse, watered on regular basis and monitored for a year.

“Taking a look at the seedbanks gives you a good indication of what the future holds. Thanks to the seedbank project we were able to establish the number of indigenous and alien species the area will deliver in the future. We found alien species to be dominating, with some indigenous succulents and geophytes indicating the need for active restoration, especially the reintroduction of the Proteaceae component. Now we can make informed decisions on the plants we can introduce,” says Nosipho.

Did you know?
Fires stimulate fynbos growth. Once fynbos starts flourishing after a fire, it takes approximately eight years for the seeds to be returned to the soil.

 

[raptor-22]

A pal who mtb'd in the forest since 1991 explained exactly this to me over a braai at his just after Argus last year. He figured that the area will even better once its been given the time to restore itself. I can see what he meant as even in the lower forest more raptors are visible on the wing,.....more snakes too.

exciting times

[(Deon)]

Thanks for the read DJR. The importance of the area should give a glimpse into the challenges of restoring the trails because we all know they won't restore themselves, not when less than 1% protected critically endangered red data list species exist where we propose they go..

 

All the more reason we as users of the park should be seen to contribute to the greater good and show we care - sans keyboard. There are a few projects running right now if anyone is interested.

[Eddy Gordo]

Projects like what Deon?