“Fire prevention must be based on collaboration and not on imposition”

The Board of Directors of the College of Forestry Engineers of Andalusia is currently studying the draft of the new Forestry Law, with the aim of presenting the appropriate allegations “to contribute to its improvement”. Estanislao Moreno del Campo is vice-dean of the Official College of Forestry Engineers of Andalusia.—The forestry law presented by the Ministry of Sustainability is the update of the legislation after 30 years. Is the forestry sector largely forgotten? Although the terms “forests” or “biodiversity” continually come up in the media and their conservation is a priority for society, there is actually little involvement in forest management, at least until now . Proper forest management involves, to a large extent, the implementation of logging programs that involve, for example, the orderly felling of trees or the hunting of animals in a regulated manner. In a society with an essentially urban influence and marked by a growing rural exodus, these aspects are either poorly understood or sometimes rejected. Society, especially urban society, must understand that forest conservation is not only compatible with, but sometimes requires, the orderly use of forest resources. — The new law will include innovative concepts, such as the introduction of artificial intelligence. How important are new technologies in this area? Artificial intelligence is here to stay in every field. In the case of forest management, this will help diagnose processes such as vegetation degradation, optimization of plant structure to minimize risks or biodiversity assessment. A predictable result will be the optimization, at different territorial scales, of the use of forest resources, with the necessary requirement of ecosystem conservation, of course. The figure of the “forest police” – How do you see the role of the forest. police which is envisaged in the law?—The figure of the forest police is included in the draft forest law in a very summary manner, in a single and brief article, 121. This article refers to a normative development of this figure. Common sense seems to advise that, in such a development, the functions and training of the components of such an administrative police should be perfectly delimited, training which, logically, must be solid in terms of knowledge of the characteristics, functions and mountain services, in particular all this if police functions are exercised by delegation, as highlighted in the draft of the said article. Such a figure should not be understood only in the sense of reporting infractions, but in the positive sense of advising forest owners. It is expected that this figure will include the Civil Guard through Seprona and environmental officers, perhaps focusing more specifically on forestry training. —Are fires prevented from a public-private perspective?—Public-private collaboration is essential. Keep in mind that the regulatory responsibility for forest fires, including prevention, lies with the administrations, especially regional, but, at the same time, approximately 70% of the forest estate in Andalusia is private, therefore, a policy of Effective prevention must be based more on collaboration than on imposition.—The forestry commercial fabric, with cork and wood as protagonists, has great potential. How is the College working on this issue?—The professional practice of forest engineering includes activities related to wood and cork. These products, the use of which is ensured by both public and private companies, are of the greatest interest. The College, through its communication networks, disseminates the latest advances in the use of wood or cork, methods and techniques, in addition to organizing or participating in conferences, seminars or specialization courses. An example is the recent dedication of a monographic issue of the magazine Montes, published by the College, to the possibilities of using wood for construction, with a lesser impact on the “ecological footprint” than the most common materials.

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