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Biobío: 2,000 Agricultural Hectares Undergoing Recovery After 2023 Wildfires

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• René Muñoz, manager of the Association of Forestry Contractors, discussed the recovery process of small forest owners in the Biobío Region following the February 2023 wildfires, one year after the disasters.

2,165 hectares dedicated to agricultural work in the Biobío Region, which were burned in the February 2023 wildfires, are undergoing recovery through various programs promoted by the Institute of Agricultural Development (Indap).

Specifically, Indap has deployed multiple agricultural recovery initiatives after the disasters, such as the Incentive System for the Agro-environmental Sustainability of Agricultural Soils (SIRSD-S), reaching 668 users across 11 communes in the Region.

“Along with providing animal feed and productive rehabilitation incentives for farmers affected by the 2023 wildfires, Indap also supports our users through regular programs like the Incentive System for the Agro-environmental Sustainability of Agricultural Soils,” stated Marcela Rodríguez, head of Indap Biobío Development.

Similarly, Rodríguez provided details on the hectares and users reached, as well as the total investment involved in the deployment, which, combining regular and emergency funds, amounted to $944 million.

“Recognizing the urgency and magnitude of the post-fire challenge, we allocated an additional $233 million to this program, directly benefiting 148 farmers in the recovery of 295 hectares of agricultural land in total. This work was reflected in 11 communes of the region and focused on Santa Juana, Contulmo, and Nacimiento, some of the hardest-hit areas last season,” emphasized the head of Indap Biobío Development.

Notably, through SIRSD-S, Indap funds up to 90% of the total net cost for tasks and/or practices aimed at recovering degraded agricultural soils and/or maintaining already recovered soils, according to the program’s current cost table. It also covers the cost of technical assistance required for the formulation and, where applicable, execution of management plans.

“Additionally, through the regular SIRSD-S budget for the Region, totaling $711 million, we assisted 520 farmers in developing and implementing management plans for the recovery of 1,868 hectares of agricultural land,” added the head of Indap Development in Biobío.

Rodríguez also assured that “with this, we aim to prevent soils from regressing below the minimum technical levels already achieved by our users to secure the future of Family and Indigenous Farming. Some practices carried out on the land include fertilizer application, establishing vegetative cover, and soil conservation methods, among others.”

2024 Season

In November 2023, as reported by Diario Concepción, agricultural producers in the Region coordinated with public and private entities to improve upon last summer’s scenarios, where wildfires consumed over 180,000 hectares of agricultural and forest land.

With the participation of guilds, the presidential delegation, police, municipalities, and others, efforts were made to intensify firebreak progress along road edges and forest borders, alongside other prevention measures.

Small Forest Owners

René Muñoz, manager of the Association of Forestry Contractors, discussed the recovery process of small forest owners in the Biobío Region after the February 2023 wildfires, one year after the disasters.

“The truth is, we haven’t seen progress. The only reforestation recovery achieved is by large companies, which obviously treat it as their heritage to supply their industries,” Muñoz emphasized.

Along these lines, the president of the Association of Forestry Contractors stated that, in general, small owners—such as an SME that lost its 20 hectares of land—are “completely abandoned,” adding that “today, no one has the money to recover that land without state support.”

In this regard, Muñoz clarified that hectares burned in the 2017 summer wildfires still haven’t been recovered and noted that “many of those lands burned in the seventh region also remain unrecovered, along with areas in the eighth region that could fuel future wildfires and other potential disasters.”

“From 2017 to date, 15,000 hectares have been reforested, compared to the 250,000 hectares burned. We can see the number is insignificant,” concluded the president of the Association of Forestry Contractors.

Native Forest

The National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) planted 544 hectares of native forest in the Biobío Region in 2023 on lands affected by last year’s wildfires and in territories where communities have expressed the need for native plantations. This was done through the Siembra por Chile and Más Bosques programs.

Additionally, for 2024, a new program called the Forest Recovery and Restoration Program for Fire Prevention—Resilient Landscapes is set to be implemented, covering 1,100 hectares in Biobío.

Source:www.diarioconcepcion.cl