COMPÁS.- Prescribed burnings explained briefly
Within the COMPÁS project, the Galicia Forestry Association, in collaboration with the Private Communal Neighborhood Forest Owners of Sabaxáns (Mondariz), prepared and disseminated on social networks a mini-video about prescribed burnings, also called controlled burnings.
This type of burning, widely used in rural Galicia in past times, is a very useful tool for controlling the bush in the forests and for the regeneration of pasture, as long as it is done correctly and with the proper precautions.
Based on images of a burning of this type carried out in February in Sabaxáns, the video presents in a very summarized way the advantages and conditions of this type of burning, placing great emphasis on the obligation that they should be planned, carried out and supervised by the personnel of the Integrated Forest Fire Prevention Teams. It must be taken into account that a burning of this type, if not carried out with appropriate technical support, will be considered an arson.
The main requirements for a preventive type of burning are:
- They must be carried out in accordance with the requirements established, with the presence of technical personnel authorized to manage controlled burnings and extinguishing equipment.
- It is necessary to have a perimeter security strip.
- It is only allowed outside the high fire danger season and when the daily forest fire risk index is low or moderate.
Controlled or prescribed burning is a cheaper fuel control method than mechanical cutting and helps increase soil health due to the contribution of cations that increase soil pH, reducing its acidity and facilitating the absorption of nutrients by plants.
You can access the version of minivideo in Galician on this link.
You can access the version of minivideo in Spanish in this other link.
The project COMPAS it is coordinated by the Public University of Navarra in which the Galician Forestry Association (AFG), the Experimental Station of Zaidín de Granada (CSIC), the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Association of Shepherds for the Mediterranean Forest also participate.
COMPAS has the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
