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CHAPTER 5
Experts connect the devastation
of the forest fires to Portugal’s very
limited forestry policy. Though there is
no common EU policy for forestry (as
there is for agriculture), EU support was
given for the planting of eucalyptus
trees to supply paper industries with
raw material. Eucalyptus grows very
quickly, ideal for the paper industry.
It is also a highly flammable wood,
meaning that eucalyptus forest
fires spread quickly and have the
potential to be incredibly destructive.
Wildfires spread fast
Drennan Watson from Highland and Additionally, these forests have very
Islands Forum in Scotland said back low biodiversity because insects
in 1998, when the Sustainable Mystery and birds avoid them. Traditional dry
2019, we have the notorious forest Tour ended here. He said our forests orchard systems on the limestone area
fire summers of 2017 and 2018 just were evidence of absentee landlords - joining olive, almond, fig, carob and
behind us. Fires and devastating from Lisbon, far away bureaucrats cork trees - in the shale mountains, by
storms plagued Europe in those from Brussels and a very unsustainable contrast, grow very slowly. They tend to
years. The Algarve in particular forestry policy. The bureaucrats produce highly biodiverse ecosystems,
was seriously hit. “The fires were believed that eucalyptus would help preserve soil and water and are
catastrophic,” Artur remembers, “up by boosting the Portuguese paper resilient to climate change. Local cork
north, many people died and entire industry. But instead it boosted fires. and olive processing industries also
regions burnt down. I remember what Drennan was right.” offer much better income for farmers
When Artur and I meet again in
and small industries.
Resilient forests
grow slowly
IN LOCO argues that a much-
needed forest reform must be
integrated into the Portuguese
Forest Development Policy, which
in turn is closely interrelated to a
Rural Development Policy. These two
policies have suffered a progressive
disinvestment in recent decades.
This has meant that the ability to
detect, implement and evaluate
how the forest may contribute to the
sustainable development of the rural
world in which it resides, has also
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