The fire gives a truce to the Andalusian forests in the first half of the year

The first half of the year has closed with a relatively positive balance in terms of forest fires in Andalusia, after two catastrophic summers (2021 and 2022).. The 704 hectares that have burned from January 1 to July 31, 2023 add up to a volume of damage far removed from those registered in the last decade, which for the same period yields a value close to 5,000 burned hectares (4,948 being exact) on average, according to the data collected by the Ministry of the Presidency and the Interior, on which the 40 aerial means and 4,700 workers of the Infoca firefighting services depend.

In total, Infoca has intervened in 416 fires located in forest lands, when the average for the last decade is 427.2 for the same period of the year.. What is noteworthy, therefore, in this first half of the year is that practically all the fires have been controlled on time without having to regret significant damage.

Sources from the Ministry of the Presidency and the Interior (whose head is Antonio Sanz) have been very prudent when assessing these results as of July 31, since the risk of fire will remain very high at least during the months of August and September and, therefore, a large disaster such as those that have been experienced in recent years could at any time overthrow this benevolent provisional balance.

Last year, the fire campaign was extended until October 15, when the risk decreased due to the drop in temperatures. By then, the season had registered a total of 153 fires in the forest environment and more than 15,564 hectares burned. There were fewer fires than the previous year (181 were registered in 2021) but the number of hectares destroyed was higher as a result of some large-scale disasters such as Los Guájares (Granada), Pujerra or Mijas (these last two in Malaga), which were active and causing damage to their environment for more than twenty days. In total, these three fires alone burned 4,810 hectares of scrubland and 5,970 hectares of trees.

Another 23 million in prevention

Beyond the efforts to fight the fire, the Andalusian Government vindicates the work that has been carried out in its prevention. Thus, the Ministry of Sustainability reported this Tuesday that the Board is going to invest in the coming months about 23 million euros in these tasks, divided into a total of 31 forestry works, which will affect 6,000 hectares of high ecological value and they will involve a workload of 110,600 days.

This investment is added to the 12.5 million in works that are already being carried out in more than 5,300 hectares throughout Andalusia, and whose objective is to reduce the “fuel” (the dry grass that feeds the fire), break with continuity to prevent the spread and “preserve the forest masses and the biodiversity they house”, the counselor, Ramón Fernández Pacheco, points out through an informative note.

According to this statement, to carry out these works, various blocks of actions have been projected, among which are preventive forestry treatments in forests managed by the autonomous community, actions to improve biodiversity in the provinces of Cádiz, Córdoba and Jaén ; as well as improvement actions in forest and coastal ecosystems in the province of Cádiz. Specifically, these works focus on clearing brush, cutting trees, bucking trunks, removing and removing wood, pruning, collecting and stacking or cordoning off waste, disposal of remains, controlled burning, among others; combined with work to improve ecosystems and biodiversity such as repopulation, densification and diversification with native species, progressive naturalization of masses from reforestation; protection of vegetation against various damages and management of forest formations to increase their biodiversity.

In the case of preventive forestry treatments, a total of 24 works will be carried out on almost 5,000 hectares, which will create more than 89,000 wages.

The first of the blocks has eight works, 75 percent financed by the EAFRD and focused on 22 municipalities in the eight provinces. The second block, also with eight works, is financed by EAFRD Next Generation European Funds and focuses on 26 municipalities in all Andalusian provinces except Almería.

Finally, the third block of forestry treatments, with eight works financed by the EAFRD, focuses on 12 municipalities of the eight Andalusian provinces.. Regarding the actions to improve biodiversity in the provinces of Cádiz, Córdoba and Jaén, five works will be carried out, financed 75 percent by the EAFRD, in almost 650 hectares in 20 municipalities of the three aforementioned provinces.

These actions will have an employment forecast of about 11,600 wages. Likewise, actions will be carried out to improve forest ecosystems and the coast in the province of Cádiz through two works fully financed by the EAFRD. These works will extend over an area of almost 320 hectares in 20 municipal terms and provide for just over 9,600 wages.