A Canopy of Knowledge: Focus on Forestry
In 2004 Willem van der Merwe, founder, and CEO of Africa Biomass Company, bought a small specialised tree felling company and used wood chippers to enhance productivity, Over time these services and equipment were used in agriculture, river rehabilitation projects, and lately also forestry, with a focus on biomass to energy and under canopy mulching. ABC expanded to such an extent that we now have nine processing teams using the latest biomass processing equipment and techniques to process plantation residue, alien invasive trees, and encroacher bushes.
ABC specialises in providing contracting services in the following core operations in the forestry industry:
Land Preparation
Serrat mulchers have demonstrated their effectiveness as a comprehensive solution for land preparation before planting. Plantation managers see this as the future of single-step preparation, replacing the previously used herbicides, burning, and manual labor, which were both labor-intensive and had a detrimental impact on the soil.
Under Canopy Mulching and Fire Management
In South Africa, the practice of under canopy mulching is gaining traction as an integrated fire management strategy to reduce fuel loads. ABC is excited about the results obtained through multiple trials in various regions using the rugged Serrat mulchers to process fire load in an efficient, cost-effective, and ecologically beneficial way to the environment. The Serrat mulchers, available as part of our contracting fleet or to purchase, can process several widths of material according to the client’s need.
Biomass to Energy
Correctly sourced biomass is environmentally friendly, renewable, abundantly available, and cost-effective fuel that can be combusted as a source of fuel to generate heat for a variety of applications. Typical sustainable sources of biomass are offcuts from sustainably managed commercial plantations, recycled orchard and vineyard residues, and most importantly invasive alien vegetation that is cleared as part of river rehabilitation projects. Harvesting unwanted alien vegetation increases water runoff, decreases the risk of bush fires, and restores natural vegetation.
ABC places a high value on customer well-being and after-sales support, and as such, each customer's operations are treated as unique, with custom-tailored solutions.
