The Xunta should give more priority to preventive measures due to the accumulation of biomass

forest fire in galicia

The Association of Forestais Fire Fighters of Galicia ensures that the Xunta must change its strategy to face a new typology of large forest fires, which collapse the extinction and emergency systems, giving priority and making preventive measures a reality that reduce the risks for the civilian population and minimize the losses caused by fires, fighting them with an effective forest management and creating a greater resistance of the forest to the severity of fires.

From this association point out that climate change is generating more intense droughts and this, resulting in aridity, which makes the mountains are more likely to burn by the accumulation of unmanaged vegetable biomass; as a result of depopulation, abandonment and lack of agricultural activities in rural areas. All this implies a seasonality of the risk of fires, since it burns at any time of the year and not only in the summer.

The association explains that the functions of the personnel are the surveillance, detection, coordination and extinction of fires, and also the basic tasks of prevention, forest regeneration and rural emergencies.

Further information:  http://www.farodevigo.es/portada-ourense/2017/12/31/distritos-forestales-provincia-pierden-96/1812257.html