The care of forests can reduce the damage caused by any fires by up to 50% and, at the same time, limit the spread of new fires.
This is established by a study carried out by Pefc, an association that produces the Evaluation Program of Forest Certification Schemes, in which it draws a map on the national environmental and forest scenario.
The numbers of the Pefc
According to the analysis, a sustainably maintained and certified forest can be affected by fires to an extent up to 9 times lower than non-certified ones.
Climate change causes fires that are increasingly difficult to control, warns Marco Bussone, president of Pefc Italy.
In Italy, the lack of attention to the forest heritage has left many forests in a dangerous state. It is urgent to distribute the 40 million euros still unspent of the 2021 fire decree for the prevention and management of forests.
Fires and forest management
The study “Active governance of agro-pastoral, forest and protected areas mitigates the impacts of forest fires in Italy” shows that sustainable land management reduces fires, aggravated by hot and dry weather and forest abandonment.
Antonio Brunori of Pefc Italy highlights the urgency of adopting a governance system that follows the strategies of the European Green Deal to protect ecosystems and ensure civil protection.
