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Timber SMEs Accuse Government of Pushing Project That Neither Protects Nor Supports Fire Victims

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In the Housing Committee of the Lower House, small and medium-sized timber industry players accused the Government of promoting a wildfire bill that focuses on blaming victims and fails to include measures to address intentional acts.

In its latest session, the aforementioned Committee approved in general terms the bill regulating the prevention of forest and rural fires. This followed hearings with researchers from the University of Chile, Conapyme, and Pymemad, the association representing timber SMEs.

Víctor Sandoval, president of Pymemad Bío Bio and regional coordinator of "Futuro Madera," stated that the bill aims to penalize forest owners, punishing those who wish to maintain or increase forest coverage, but lacks measures to prevent intentionally caused fires.

He argued that it amounts to a "security tax," as maintaining plantations will become more expensive, imposing obligations that, in his view, will harm those without financial support but not large corporations.

Michel Esquerré, the national president of the association, reinforced the idea that the bill focuses on shifting responsibility to forest growers and further encouraging economic concentration in the forestry sector.

Agriculture Minister Esteban Valenzuela—who attended the session alongside the national director of Conaf, Christian Little—responded by stating that the bill seeks to establish mandatory measures based on shared responsibility and denied that victims are being criminalized.

According to data shared during the session by the forestry association, wildfires are affecting the supply and viability of timber SMEs, with a reduction of nearly 290,000 hectares between 1998 and 2017 in a sector that employs 300,000 people and accounts for 6.3% of national exports.

This situation worsened due to the 2017 and 2023 fires, and the burned land has not been recovered, posing a threat to the entire production chain, including small and medium landowners and sawmills.

Source:www.biobiochile.cl