Almost a thousand parishes have been identified this year as priorities for clearing forests as part of measures to combat rural fires, according to an order published today in the Diário da República.
The order states that there are 991 priority parishes for fuel management enforcement this year, seven fewer than in 2023.
“For the purpose of selecting parishes, the criteria adopted since 2022 have been maintained, which incorporate the components of cyclical rural fire hazard and ecosystem value. As a result, 991 parishes have now been identified (34% of the total number), covering 2,844,170 hectares of total area (32% of the surface area of mainland Portugal) and encompassing 1,983,590 hectares of forest areas (37% of its total area),” states the decree, which is published annually.
The order states that “the definition of these priorities does not exempt land management agents from complying with all the provisions laid down in rural fire management legislation, and the scope of inspection by the competent authorities is naturally not limited to the areas and deadlines mentioned”.
According to the document, fuel management inspections in the 991 priority parishes will be carried out between May 1 and 31 on land bordering buildings in rural areas (within a 50-meter strip) and in settlements.
For the road and rail networks and electricity transmission and distribution lines, it will take place between June 1st and June 30th.
The order that identifies the priority parishes for the purposes of monitoring fuel management in 2024 was signed by the Secretary of State for Civil Protection, Patrícia Gaspar, and the Secretary of State for Nature Conservation and Forests, João Catarino, and comes into force on Wednesday.
