While fires are raging everywhere in France, the public authorities have been working for a long time now to put in place a policy of prevention and maintenance of public forests.
34,000 owners in the Tarn
But in our country, the forest is mostly private. Three-quarters of the woods belong to many owners and they too will have to learn to manage the risk. In the Tarn for example, there are 180,000 hectares of forest in the Tarn. 75% are private forests which belong to 34,000 owners. So difficult to be sure that everyone is aware.
– SM
Preventing fires is first and foremost about ensuring good forest management, insist professionals in the sector. For Fransylva, the Private Foresters Federation of France“a managed forest is less susceptible to fire than an unmanaged forest”. Because the foresters provide surveillance, create tracks, limit the presence of dead wood (and therefore fuel) on the ground. It is also necessary to create tracks or at all maintain the paths to allow the passage of fire trucks. The clearing of the undergrowth will also become an issue in certain woods.
Four meter wide paths
Antoine d’Aragon, president of the Union of Private Foresters of the Tarn admits that so far, the owners have somewhat neglected this risk in our departments. But that is about to change, he promises. “For the past few weeks, I have been walking in the woods, at home, not only telling myself that we have to intervene, there may be a cut to be made, a reforestation to be carried out. But I am going around with someone’s eye who’s starting to be afraid of fire. I think it’s going to become an obsession in the next few months.”
The Tarnais believes it will take review the services of forests and woods and possibly see what can be access to water. And Antoine d’Aragon assumes that even at home, there may be some problems. “This path, it’s not very good. There are plants in the middle. You should have at least four meters to be clear, so that a fire defense device can circulate normally. So having lanes is good. Having maintained lanes is much better.”
The Tarn owner thinks that for each forest, we ask ourselves the right questions, with humility. “It is important that everyone looks at their forest today, saying to themselves in the event of a fire, how we do it, how the firefighters can intervene. I think this is a reflection that we did not necessarily have until now. .”
Application for fire insurance
So obviously the 34,000 Tarn owners are not all aware, but we are making progress, promises Antoine d’Aragon. “This is the first year that I have received emails from members asking me how to insure against fires.”
Owners also want build stronger ties with firefighters. They believe that the departmental fire and rescue services will help implement good practices.
With regard to dwellings, in risk areas, clearing by the owners of land located less than 200 meters from woods and forests may be compulsory. In case of exceptional risk, the mayor can order an owner to clean the cuts and branches.
– SM