The aid, totaling 8 million euros, will benefit 232 municipalities in the province of Valencia. Amounts range from 5,000 to 124,000 euros, allocated based on criteria such as municipality size, forest area, and the existence of forest plans.
The presentation of these novelties took place at the headquarters of the Valencia Provincial Council, with the presence of its president, Vicent Mompó, and the Deputy for Environment, Avelino Mascarell. Mompó announced that the Gestifoc program has been completely redesigned to simplify bureaucracy as much as possible.
“"We continue to consolidate a way of understanding public action that is more useful, smarter, and connected to the reality of our town councils. We want an administration that is an ally of the municipalities, that facilitates instead of complicates, and that accompanies instead of obstructs, so they can focus on what is truly important."
Mascarell highlighted that the Environment department has listened to the requests from municipalities for greater agility and less bureaucracy. Therefore, two important changes have been introduced: the reduction of bureaucracy by half and the advancement of the call for applications, which will allow funds to reach local councils sooner.
The Deputy for Environment emphasized that nearly 250 municipalities will benefit from this aid to “care for forests, prevent fires, and ensure that, if a fire occurs, we are all better prepared.” He added that the best way to extinguish a fire is to prevent it from starting or, if it does, to prevent it from growing, which is achieved with well-maintained roads, properly constructed firebreaks, accessible water points, and well-managed forests.
The Gestifoc program pre-assigns amounts based on a technical scale that considers municipality size (prioritizing smaller ones), forest area (more forest, more aid), planning (forest or fire prevention plans), and the existence of protected natural areas or public utility forests.
The aid is divided into two lines of action: 2 million euros for municipalities owning forests for forest management work (silvicultural treatments and improvement of plant masses), and 6 million euros for executing infrastructure planned in local fire prevention plans, including firebreak areas, improvement of forest roads, and water points for extinction. These actions aim to reduce the continuity of plant fuel, limit fire spread, and facilitate the intervention of emergency services.
