27.12.2017

Following the fire that occurred on September 12, 2016, which affected a total of 2,665.13 hectares, of which 1,038.79 hectares were covered by trees, the General Directorate of Rural Development and Forestry Policy (DGDRPF) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment (MAPAMA) has invested €500,000 in restoring the damage.

The interventions carried out in the area after the fire have been aimed at mitigating the severity of the damage caused by it, controlling pests, erosion and water pollution, maintaining the section and drainage capacity of the forest tracks and their functionality (in order to carry out restoration work and future management) and accelerating the recovery of the vegetation cover , especially of unique formations affected.

Pest control measures have been implemented (pheromone traps and diffusers), water control and channel adaptation (construction of dams to correct gullies and torrents, retain sediments and mitigate erosion), infrastructure adaptation (cleaning of waterways and maintenance of road surfaces and ditches on forest tracks), silvicultural and forest waste treatments (thinning, pruning and thinning in unique formations and extraction and crushing of burnt trees) and control of degraded areas (mulching the soil with straw and reforestation).

These efforts, along with similar efforts to restore large forest fires carried out by MAPAMA through the DGDRPF, are part of the collaborative efforts and support provided to the Autonomous Communities in the areas of hydrological and forest restoration and the fight against erosion and desertification. They are 53% co-financed by the EAFRD.