Approved 12 degrees for a sustainable forest – RTP

to Halt the expansion of eucalyptus in portugal. The government is going to freeze in the 900 thousand hectares of the area occupied by this species.

The principle was already in the program of the government… it Was part of the agreement with the Greens.

By “switching” the government ensures support for the pulp industry to increase the productivity per hectare of existing plantations.

The pulp industry is worth more than 1% of the national GDP, 6% of exports of goods.

eucalyptus is the basis for a business of more than 2 billion euros that Portugal is a european leader.

The clearing of the forest as a form of prevention is one of the priorities. Ear specialists by the Newspaper 2 reminds you that appeal to men and machines this job costs an average of one thousand euros per hectare. The result: the clandestine use of fire.

in This perspective the Council of Ministers this Thursday to decide a national program of controlled use of fire, whether in the form of cleaning, either as an instrument of combat.

The management of forests also gained new tools.

98% of the forest in Portugal is private or community. Almost 3 million hectares, mostly in parcels smaller than a football field.

to Promote condominiums forest, with private management professional, is the goal.

For those who associate in the new Societies of Forest Management the State Budget reserve various tax benefits.

For this policy can be implemented in practice, advances the Cadastre of Rustic Property. Know who owns each parcel of forest is the goal.

Until the end of 2018 will be launched a campaign for the owners of the forest land register, without cost, to its properties.

The plots are not registered go to the pose of the State that makes them available to anyone who proposes to manage and creating more value.

For 15 years the return of property is possible after a settlement of accounts between what was invested and what you earned each one of the plots. Past this period, the land shall pass to the legal possession of the State.

The industry associations remind one of the problems with this decision. It may happen that the State has to take over the management of a very significant portion of the forest land which would require you to available a volume of money unthinkable in the budget.

Guarantee of money there but for the prevention. 8.4 million euros for the appreciation and recovery of natural habitats in the National Park of Peneda-Gerês (a pilot program to perform in eight years).

the pledge is also in the reinforcement of the teams of Deminers Forest. 44 will be refurbished in 2017. By 2020, creates 20 new ones every year.

The roughly 200 teams that are currently working in the forest throughout the year are funded with the same 35 billion euros / year have been allocated to them at the time of its creation in 1999.

Capoulas Santos warrant an update to this value to 40 billion euros already by 2017. The real cost of a team of around 75 thousand euros.

The local authorities are to have more active role in the management of the forest. The framework will come from the Regional Forestry management Plans whose rules will be converted to the PDM’s of the 308 Portuguese municipalities.

Also new skills for the Air Force.

Part of the flight hours are the responsibility of the surveillance missions…. and the acquisition of new aircraft and helicopters shall be in the specifications, the ability to combat the forest fires.

The government has also decided that as soon as the current contracts with private their expiry will be the military to assume, for the whole, the management of the combat.