«First you dig a hole in the earth with your hoe, then you pick up the plant carefully and put it into the hole, like this. With a hoe or with your hands, you tuck the earth around the little tree, put on a little trousers. Then all that's left is to put on this tube, which is a protection». The forest sapper spoke to the attentive kids, while illustrating the work that around 350 students from schools in the Algarve would have to do, throughout the morning, on a plot of land near the village of Monchique.
It was a reforestation action, with autochthonous species – cork oaks, strawberry trees, chestnut trees and oaks – in a land of about one and a half hectares, on the slope just above the village. On that land, owned by the Municipality of Monchique, the eucalyptus trees were replaced by trees characteristic of the region and more resistant to fire.
This symbolic moment, which was attended by the Secretary of State for Forests and Rural Development (who also planted an arbutus tree), is the result of the campaign carried out at Christmas by Forum Algarve, which, for each user of the ice rink installed there shopping center of Faro, earmarked one euro to support the project.
In total, 38 thousand euros were raised, which the company attributed to the Association of Forest Producers of the Barlavento Algarvio (Aspaflobal), to finance a project that went beyond the simple planting of trees, many of which died shortly after this symbolic act.
Emílio Vidigal, executive director of Aspaflobal, explained to Sul Informação that the work started with the preparation of the land, in a total of about 16 hectares of forest areas around the village of Monchique that are owned by the City Council.
President Rui André recalled that, following the great fire last summer, the municipality decided to "eliminate all the eucalyptus trees that we had on public land", "not for the sake of ideology, but for this to be an example".
“I am not a fundamentalist in relation to any species, because I believe that, as long as it is ordered, there is a place for the production forest and the native forest. But the Municipality of Monchique has to set an example in the change we need to make in the reorganization of the landscape».
Emílio Vidigal added: «when the chairman of the Forum Algarve's Board of Directors contacted me, saying they wanted to do something to help the mountain range, I said straight away: if it's just to plant more trees, don't count on me! But the idea gained consistency and what we are doing now is much more than that». "All the money for this operation comes from the Forum, Aspaflobal is the armed wing, the entity that will carry out the project, with the logistical support of the Monchique Chamber, which provides personnel and some machinery," he explained.
«We are intervening in several properties of the Monchique Town Hall, around the town, to create a protection perimeter here. These are lands with centuries-old trees, some over 60 meters high, and a lot of woods, right next to the village. This land where we are intervening today, for example, is next to the Air Force District».
To prepare the land for planting the young trees, by the hands of schoolchildren, it was necessary “to use a machine to pull out the stumps, do the harrowing, bury the fuels, control the grasses. It is not an easy or cheap job, but this is what has to be done if we want to change the landscape of our forest», said Vidigal.
Sérgio Santos, Forum Algarve administrator, who also rolled up his sleeves and planted a tree, stressed that this initiative is «a reason of great honor for us, for being here taking the first step towards reforestation in a mountain range that belongs to us all. ».
«There are more than 300 children here, from all over the Algarve, contributing to their own future, in a mountain that is theirs and belongs to all of us».
The mayor of Monchique took the opportunity to vote that this protocol with Forum Algarve, which resulted in today's initiative, «be the first of many», with the aim of «creating a bridge between Monchique and its producers and a of the largest commercial hubs in the region”.
For his part, Miguel Freitas, Secretary of State for Forests, underlined the “special symbolism” of the reforestation operation with the help of children. But he also highlighted the effort that must continue to be made, namely to reach the 1350 kilometers of planned fuel interruption lanes. “In ten years, only 250 kilometers were covered. In these two years, 350 kilometers have already been covered, of which more than 50 are here in Monchique».
quoting the Independent Technical Observatory report, created by Parliament to monitor forest fires, released yesterday, the government official said that, although the document concludes that the banners have "a very low effect in relation to whether fires happen or not", they are considered essential to ensure "more accessibility to the firemen” and to allow “work with heavy machinery”, to stop the advance of the flames.
Miguel Freitas warned that, next summer, the risks will again be very high for the Algarve, which will be in “severe drought”. But he said he hopes that the effort being made in Monchique will contribute so that the area "may be at least safer than it was before".
On the ground, and under a light rain that was falling at intervals during the morning, the children of the schools of Faro and Olhão, as well as one from Monchique (the one from S. Roque), were entering groups, under the command of their teachers and with the guidance of ten forest sappers, to plant the hundreds of trees. At the end of the morning, up the slope, you could see the rows of little green tubes, protecting the fragile stalks of the new trees from the voracity of animals.
"It's the second one I plant today," said Sílvio, 12, from a school in Faro, handling the hoe with dexterity, to open the hole. Under the watchful eye of the forest sapper, he planted a strawberry tree there.
And with the coming heat, will these trees survive? Emílio Vidigal answers: «we also thought about it and our sappers have a kit that will allow them to water these trees». But the weather that has been felt these days has helped, he adds. «Although the planting is already taking place a little late, with this drizzle, the ground is wet and that is good».
Sofia, 11 years old, also from Faro, who planted a cork oak with the help of his friend Maria, has already said: “I'm going to ask my parents to come here later to see my tree. And I will bring a bottle of water to water it».
As for the project paid for by Forum Algarve and operated on the ground by Aspaflobal, with the logistical support of the Chamber, it does not stop there. Sérgio Santos revealed to Sul Informação that, at the request of the Association of Forestry Producers, the Firefighters of Monchique will be equipped with a tablets of great performance, which allows them to have access to tools that guarantee the monitoring of fire situations in real time. It will be an important work tool for the firefighters, which Emílio Vidigal even hopes they won't have to use anytime soon.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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