Wood Wide Web
Hiking through the Afromontane forest is, for most hikers, a visual collage of green, towering trees, a tangle of undergrowth infused with scents of fragrance underscored by notes of musky dampness.
Yet, supporting this seemingly chaotic array of trees is a fungal network of mycelium, lacing its way through the forest floor and imposing an unsuspected order within the forest.
Responsible for the very vitality of the forest, the wood wide web connects each and every plant in the forest with each other, and is integral in the health and welfare of them all.
The fungal mycelium conveys minerals, water and nutrients across the forest, from area of excess to zones in need. It is the primary driver of recycling dead organic material, the chemical process of recycling that supports the forest.
It is also the communities defense against disease and the onslaught of pests, conveying healing and repellent chemicals where required. Without a healthy fungal and microbial biome in the ground, the forest would not flourish. Within this community of trees, there is both a vertical and horizontal structure which functions as protection against disease, pest and fire threats. To effect these defences within this complex community, spatial arrangements are maintained by complex seed dispersal strategies.
Walking through a forest is not merely a walk, it is the immersion into a complex community that is over 300 million years old.
Pristine Forest Hiking.
The Garden Route has a superb network of trails, particularly forest trails. Between George in the west and Blue Lilies Bush in the east, a network of forest trails exist with a range of distances available.
For medium distance trails, the Groeneweide, Woodcutter 9Km and Perdekop trails are ideal.
For shorter trails the Woodville Big Tree, Brown-Hooded Kingfisher Trail and Circles in the Forest Trail are ideal. Read More...
Longer trails include the Elephant Trails, Blombos Trail and stages of the Outeniqua Trail. Read More... |
