Regeneration of woodland begins in area hit by summer wildfire

Regenerating key spots in the area of southern Catalonia reduced to ashes by a major wildfire at the start of the summer is the objective of a new project by the government's forestry agency, Forestal Catalana.

Over five thousand hectares of land went up in flames at the end of June in the Ribera d'Ebre county, and the authorities now plan to contain soil erosion and regenerate woodland with work that will go until next summer.

Focusing on wooded areas, the work costing 2.2 million euros will see trees felled that are close to footpaths and roads, with the timber collected used to make sawdust, while banks of earth will be made to slow the flow of water and so help avoid erosion. 

June's wildfire was one of the worst ever in Catalonia, and at its height required up to 120 different firefighting crews and some 40 fire engines, as well as aircraft, to combat the flames, which spread through eight different municipalities.

Apart from the 2.2 million for the regeneration work, at the end of August the agriculture department announced that it would spend a further 3.5 million euros on infrastructure to prevent further fires, and would provide interest-free loans to local landowners.