And forest fire is the fire that spreads without planningmanagement or control in a forest or wild land, affecting both plant fuels, flora and even fauna. It is distinguished from other types of fire by its wide spread, its potential to change direction unexpectedly, the speed with which it can spread, and its ability to overcome obstacles such as roads, rivers, and firebreaks.
The grazing system is a feeding method used in extensive productive units, in which animals consume the grass or forage that grows in a given area. To do this, the producer must take care of managing existing resources to guarantee adequate nutrition for each individual.
Bet on grazing
The regional Government, through the Department of Sustainable Development, publishes this Friday, January 10 in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM) the new call for aid in the amount of 360,000 euros to promote, among the regional livestock sector, the maintenance of the Network of Defense Areas (RAD) against forest fires through controlled grazing “encouraging owners of livestock farms to graze their livestock in strategic areashelping to prevent forest fires.”
This is how the Deputy Minister of the Environment, José Almodóvar, explained it during the visit he carried out in the Cuenca municipality of Cañizares together with the mayor Julio César Bodoque and the provincial delegate of Sustainable Development, José Ignacio Benito, to the area. of goat grazing by Jacinto Martínez, a local rancher.
“The objective of this aid, known as the ‘firefighter sheep’, is to encourage the use of livestock in the prevention of forest fires reducing its potential risk in strategic areas together with the primary sector, to contribute to the conservation and stability of our forests and agroforestry systems,” said Almodóvar.
Furthermore, thanks to this call, “We promote sustainable forest management, increasing the improvement of our forest massessince these activities contribute to the conservation and improvement of the natural environment, since it means advancing in the forestry treatment of the land for the prevention of fires. And in turn, we contribute to the improvement of the primary sector in rural areas.”
These aids, contained within the framework of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy of Spain for the period 2023-2027 and co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), will be able to benefit the holders of livestock farms located in Castilla-La Mancha for sheep, goats, cattle and horses.
The subsidized activity will consist of livestock management to reduce the vegetation load on the surfaces that will be offered in the future call by driving and guiding by a shepherd, or using facilities that prevent their mobility such as electric shepherds or mobile fences. In addition, it will be carried out in forests managed by the Community Board of Castilla-La Mancha.
The deadline for submitting applications will be one month from the day following the publication this Friday, January 10, in the DOCM of the call and in accordance with the standardized model available on the electronic headquarters.
More aerial means to fight fires
As the Deputy Minister of the Environment explained, “this is one more example of the effort we make in the area of forest fires from the Executive chaired by García-Page in combining what is important, which is preventive work, with what is urgent, which is extinction with to prevent fires and mitigate their effects”.
In this context, he recalled the important aerial contract for the next three campaigns to extinguish forest fires in the region, which was carried out at the end of December, allocating an amount of 61.2 million euros. “An investment that will allow us to expand the air fleet of the INFOCAM device with four new helicopters, so we will now have 33 aircraft,” of which are 26 helicopters, five amphibious aircraft and two coordination aircraft.
And it also joins the investment of 36 million euros to treat 13,000 hectares of forest mass throughout the region, of which nine million euros are for actions to improve surveillance and detection of forest fires; and nearly one million euros in defense and self-protection plans against forest fires. “In total, 107 million euros for reinforce preventive forestry work and increase aerial resources against forest fires”, he concluded.