Flax Removal in Diana's Peak National Park, St Helena

[@robynmartin2026]

Wow, what a BIG job. I found this vid because I was looking to find the easiest way to remove a large flax bush. This is it!! Now I don't feel so overwhelmed with my ONE plant that needs to go. Thank you!

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

Hey Robyn, you're welcome 👍glad it was helpful. Hope your own project is going well 😊

[@porkulate]

A noble effort indeed. It looks like that work will go on for many more generations yet still to come. 😍

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

Indeed, Jock, you're probably quite right there. The work really needs more staff to tackle the task to make things move faster. Funding for these areas is always limited, unfortunately. However, the importance of this habitat is beginning to (slowly) become more appreciated by everyone, which can only bode well for the effort to continue. 😊 Thanks for the comment 👍

[@natureview337]

Such hard task for the incredible workers.

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

Their experience helps with this challenging task and it's great to see how efficiently they work as a team. Very impressive.

[@dayligs]

Cheers for the video, got some big fellas to clear out in my yard.

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

No problem, glad you enjoyed it 👍the way these guys work is mesmerising to watch. Don't forget to check out our other videos on our channel about the amazing work being done on the cloud forest restoration. Cheers 😊

[@john-lucasbrown4922]

Wow that looks incredibly hard work, great to see the whole operation and the results of all the hard work. Stunning views of the peaks too

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

It's definitely impressive to see this operation up close and how skilled the Peaks team are at what they do. The areas around the tops of the Peaks, now reclaimed as native habitat for St Helena's endemic plants, is a beautiful tribute to all the conservation efforts over the decades by a lot of people (past & present). Thanks for the comment John-Lucas :)

[@coolkk2]

these flax are used for weaving mats here in FIJI .they look the same plants we grow here on our island

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

There used to be quite a bit of craftwork done with flax here as well, but less so in recent years. Wanda Isaac is someone who still keeps the tradition alive and also teaches classes on how to weave the flax. We did a blog post about it a few years ago, see link: whatthesaintsdidnext.com/how-to-make-a-flax-flower-a-step-by-step-guide/

[@sid35gb]

That’s some hard graft there.

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

Hey David, you may find this follow up film interesting, gives you more of an overview of the range of work the conservation team does on St Helena: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGW7hIR5aLajl7s

[@donellemanihera4443]

Kia ora, this video is amazing ! What tool are these men using, to cut the flax and roots?

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

It's called a machete.

[@Ginrikisha]

Hi, could please give more detail on the machete -anything like brand, blade type, sharpness etc - have to deal with a lot of flax at home - thank you

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

Hi Gin, the local 'Growers' shop in Jamestown order in these tools and have been helpful with some information. They call it a standard sword/Cutlass (za), apparently 'machete' is more of an English term. Ideally, they would normally like to cut flax with a “sickle” a curved cutting tool with a very fine knife edge, but nowadays this is difficult to source/import. The sword/cutlass that you see in our video is razor sharp (the workers always give it a sharpen before use) This link for the knife/cutlass was supplied by The Growers: lasher.co.za/knife-cutlass-machete-wooden-handle-2/ Hope this is of help. All the best from St Helena.

[@anniesgardens6994]

Good work, how long does it take to removal these flax's like this

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

On level ground when access is straightforward, a 'clump' or a single flax bush can be removed in less than 2 mins, as in the film. On steeper terrain (which most of the Peaks National Park is) it takes longer. Trying actually clear large hillsides is a more complex task as clearing the flax must also go hand in hand with replanting of endemics and then approx 2 years of maintenance before they can thrive on their own in a way that the invasive species (including flax) are crowded out. You may find it interesting to check out our recent (2022) Cloud Forest series of films here on our channel, which gives good insight to the work going on, on the Peaks.

[@Islandteacherwkbx]

Hi, what do they hope to plant instead of flax?

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

Endemic plants are being planted immediately after the flax is removed, restoring the Peaks with as much of its original vegetation as possible, as it was in 1502 when the island was discovered. You can see some of this replanting going on in the video.

[@Islandteacherwkbx]

@@whatthesaintsdidnext That is great! I guess the immediate replanting stops soil erosian.

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

@@Islandteacherwkbx yes.

[@sharathvarghese2176]

Why removing Flax from steep hill side? Will it stop the soil erosion?

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

Hi Sharath, thanks for checking out the video 👍 The flax is an invasive plant. They are being removed and replaced by native, endemic vegetation. The Peaks, where this is taking place, which is also a cloud forest, provides the island's fresh water. By increasing the endemic plants it means the cloud forest is increased. 60% of fresh water on St Helena comes from mist capture (as opposed to direct rain fall) and the endemic vegetation is more effective at this than invasive species, like flax. We have video that explains this much better, have a look: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6WwqIJ6Zsp-pJI Thanks again 😊

[@idabagusreza]

Greetings from Bali! Hope everyone is safe over there

[@whatthesaintsdidnext]

Greetings back Reza, great to hear from Bali. Yes, if you're referring to Covid-19, everyone here is safe. The St Helena community has, to date, remained 100% Covid free and at this moment approx 97% of the eligible adult population have been fully vaccinated. We are very fortunate :) Stay safe in Bali.