La Castilla and leon meeting has launched a new call for financial aid specifically aimed at privately owned forests, with the focus on the forest fire prevention and in improving forest management. This support program aims to fully involve landowners in the care of their woodlands and in reducing the risk of large fires.
This initiative is part of the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy (PEPAC) 2023-2027 and is co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), with a total endowment of 45 millones de eurosThe approach is clear: allocate resources to non-productive forestry investments that help protect the natural environment and rural territory from fires, natural disasters and other catastrophes.
A plan of aid to prevent damage and strengthen forestry
The core of the call is the funding of a five-year plan of actions for damage prevention and silviculture in each beneficiary farm or group. This document will serve as a roadmap to organize, over five years, the work aimed at reducing the amount of vegetation fuel and improving the overall condition of private forests.
These plans may include silvicultural treatments such as thinning, pruning, removal of excessive scrub, creation or improvement of auxiliary strips and other interventions that facilitate access for firefighting resources and reduce fuel continuityFunding is also being considered for forestry infrastructure linked to fire prevention, always within the non-productive nature of the investments.
The Board has anticipated that the The physical execution of the works will take place between the years 2027 and 2031This allows for the continuation of measures initiated in previous calls for proposals. In this way, forests are not left unattended between programs, and a stable line of work is maintained in the medium term.
According to the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Planning, the aim is to concentrate resources in those areas. areas at higher risk of fires And where active fuel management can make a difference. In recent years, the community has experienced particularly challenging campaigns, leading to a strengthening of preventative policies.
These aid programs are also conceived as a rural development toolsince the active maintenance of private forests contributes to sustaining economic activity in rural areas, improves the landscape and reduces the environmental and economic costs associated with large fires.
Who is eligible for aid in private forests
The call is directed exclusively to holders of privately owned forest land or holdingsAlthough it encompasses various legal entities, the aim is to reach both small property owners and owners of large commercial spaces, as well as organized groups.
First, participation is permitted from natural persons and legal persons that own private woodlands or forest land. There is no distinction between individuals, companies, or other types of entities, provided they prove ownership and meet the other established requirements.
Also included are groups made up of several owners of forestry operationseven if they do not have their own legal personality. In these cases, they must jointly carry out all the actions foreseen in the five-year plan and appoint a representative with sufficient powers to assume the obligations as a beneficiary before the Administration.
Each member of the group will also be considered a beneficiary, although the aid will be formally granted to the groupHowever, there is one important limitation: those who already have a forest management plan approved and in force They will not be able to group together with owners whose farms lack a forest management plan in the same situation.
Along with these figures, the following may apply for subsidies: communities of property owners of private forest landIn contrast, local entities may only group together and may not be mixed with other types of beneficiaries, thus respecting the regulations applicable to public forests.
Amounts, financing and characteristics of the grants
The economic scheme of the call for proposals establishes that Each application may receive between 30.000 and 90.000 eurosDepending on the surface area, the scope of the action plan, and the characteristics of the project submitted, this range allows for both smaller interventions and more ambitious plans on large properties or complexes.
The aid is distributed over a period of five years From the date of the concession, in accordance with the duration of the five-year plan. This staggered financing makes it easier to schedule the work in phases, adapt it to the evolution of the forest, and avoid concentrating all the effort in a single year.
One of the key aspects of the call for applications is that it is possible finance up to 100% of the requested amount, with a maximum of 90.000 euros per fileIn this way, the economic barrier that usually prevents many owners from undertaking preventive forestry work is significantly reduced.
In addition to on-site implementation, these grants help to cover the drafting of the five-year action plan itselfThis document is essential for structuring and justifying the planned interventions. The medium-term approach lends greater coherence to management and prevents the work from being reduced to isolated actions lacking continuity.
Overall, the allocation of 45 millones de euros It seeks to reach a large number of cases and cover a high percentage of the needs detected in the private forests of the community, always within the framework set by the PEPAC and by the EAFRD funds.
Application procedure: only via electronic means
The processing of these grants is carried out exclusively electronicallyApplications must be submitted through the SCAG application (Computer program for the management of aid applications and other non-specific procedures), in the specific section of Damage Prevention and Silviculture Contracts 2026.
Access is gained from the electronic headquarters of the Regional Government of Castile and Leónwhere interested parties can find the official form, applicable regulations, attached templates, and instructions necessary to complete the procedure. It is necessary to have the means of identification and electronic signature accepted by the regional government.
El The deadline for submitting applications remains open until March 20.According to the order published in the Official Gazette of Castile and León (BOCYL), some communications specify that the deadline extends until March 20, 2026, inclusive, so it is advisable to review the specific call for applications to verify the year to which each file refers.
The granting of aid is structured in competitive competition regimeThis means that all valid applications are evaluated together and ranked according to a score, until the available budget is exhausted. It is not a first-come, first-served system, but a selection process based on objective criteria.
Amongst the evaluation criteria They include the type of work proposed, membership in a group of holders, the level of forest fire risk in the area, or the fact of being part of a association of forest ownersThe aim is to prioritize projects with the greatest collective impact and in particularly sensitive areas.
A context marked by large fires and climate change
The commitment to this type of aid did not arise from nothing. In recent years, Castile and León has suffered large and intense forest firesThese situations have come at a high environmental, economic, and social cost. They have highlighted the shortcomings in prevention and the need to promote more active forest management, especially in privately owned forests.
Regional officials have stressed that a large part of the problem lies in the fuel accumulation In areas where traditional activities (grazing, firewood collection, forestry work) have declined, without regular intervention, vegetation becomes denser and more continuous, facilitating the spread of fires.
The climate change It is intensifying heat waves and lengthening periods of drought, making extreme weather events more frequent. All of this increases the likelihood of a fire spreading rapidly out of control, especially in poorly managed landscapes. This phenomenon of droughts and heat waves This worsens the situation.
In this context, the aid co-financed by the EAFRD and framed within the PEPAC is presented as an instrument to move towards a preventive forest management modelwhere the priority is to act before a fire breaks out. The idea is simple: the better maintained the forest, the less likely a fire will reach a large scale.
According to the Board, the intention is expand the area of private woodlands where preventative forestry work is carried outreaching more regions and more owners. If the sector's response is widespread and the plans are implemented effectively, a gradual reduction in risk and [the impact] is expected. severity of forest fires that occur.
With this call for proposals, the regional government aligns itself with other regions in Spain and the European Union that are committed to comprehensive fire prevention programs in private forests, relying on collaboration between administrations, owners, forestry associations and the entire rural environment.
The aid package put forward by the Junta de Castilla y León combines European and regional funding To facilitate the development and implementation of five-year prevention plans by private forest owners, with support of up to €90.000 per project and coverage reaching 100% of the investment. In a scenario of increasing risk from forest fires, this initiative presents an opportunity to professionalize forest management, improve territorial safety, and boost prevention in the rural areas of the region.
