The government has sent an email to Portugal’s householders, advising them of what to do to comply with existing fire regulations.In collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the email from the Tax Authority outlines the importance of clearing land and trees as a fire prevention measure.
"Before it is too late, before it reaches you, clear the bush 50 metres around your house and 100 metres in an area around all villages. This must be done before March 15th."
The public needs to:
Clear the bush and cut down trees:
50 meters around houses, warehouses, workshops, factories or shipyards;
100 metres on land around villages, campsites, industrial parks, logistics areas and landfill sites
Cut trees 4 metres above the ground and keep them at least 4 metres away from each other
Cut all trees and shrubs within 5 metres of the house and stop branches from growing onto the roof;
50 meters around houses, warehouses, workshops, factories or shipyards;
100 metres on land around villages, campsites, industrial parks, logistics areas and landfill sites
Cut trees 4 metres above the ground and keep them at least 4 metres away from each other
Cut all trees and shrubs within 5 metres of the house and stop branches from growing onto the roof;
"If you do not do this by March 15th, you may be subject to a fine ranging from €140 to €5,000 for individuals and from €1,500 to €60,000 for entities.
"Until May 31st, councils can clean around properties if the property owner does not. Owners are required to allow access to their land and to reimburse the Council for the amount spent on cleaning."
It is important:
Keep yourself informed of the risk of fire in your area of residence
Make sure the irrigation system and hoses work
Clean roofs and place a spark arresting net in chimneys
Keep yourself informed of the risk of fire in your area of residence
Make sure the irrigation system and hoses work
Clean roofs and place a spark arresting net in chimneys
Keep farm or forest off-cuts, stacks of firewood, gas bottles and or other explosive substances away from properties
It is vital:
The life of your family and the security of your assets depend on your actions.
The life of your family and the security of your assets depend on your actions.
For more information call 808 200 520
Portugal without fire is in everyone's hands.
__________
The edict fails to distinguish between tree types, with some being covered by laws that prohibit their destruction such as cork trees.
The communication fails to inform readers that, under existing laws, people only need to cut back trees so that branches are at least four metres from each other, not remove trees completely.
There is no advice on what to do with cut scrub and the remains of trees, the danger being that this will dry out and add to the problem of highly combustible material.
__________
There is very useful information on the Safe Communities Portugal website:
The government decree law that shows which areas are priority and which are secondary, and hence unlikely to be inspected, is available here: https://dre.pt/application/conteudo/114748878