Lessening the fire devastation

THE Junta will spend €150,000 on Sierra de Gador areas affected by the forest fire of March 2014.

Jose Fiscal, who heads the regional government’s Environment and Land department, said that experts had been following and charting the evolution of vegetation in the area. Following an on-the-spot inspection immediately after the fire, the department could see that it was not necessary to launch emergency measures as no risk factors were present.

Areas of scrub are regenerating spontaneously, Fiscal said, and although wooded areas were taking longer, new shoots were also beginning to appear. “We have learnt from experience that recuperation of naturally-occurring vegetation that has been affected by fire is far better when this occurs spontaneously,” he explained.

This is happening in Sierra de Gador, Fiscal continued, which was why there are no plans for reforestation. Work is starting this week on clearing away burnt trees, saplings and deadfalls on the steepest areas where most of the tree cover was lost. The Cerro del Sacromonte in Alhama de Almeria is a priority, owing to the visual impact of the fire, the Environment chief added: “Work there will make the sierra more attractive to visit.”