Last summer was burning hot. It took away a good deal of the Attica forests. Strong winds, dry weather, fermenting rubbish and mindless idiots give the forest environment no end of trouble. The government is trying to come to some kind of decision concerning its forest fire fighting policy. About 30,000 stremmata (four stremmata make an acre) were reduced to ashes in Attica alone this summer proving that the Hellenic Fire Brigade is not able to cope fully with this calamity.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture’s statistics, 2030 forest fires have destroyed 480,000 stremmata throughout the country, making this summer one of the most catastrophic in the past 15 years. The island of Rhodes was one of the saddest victims where 25,000 stremmata went up in smoke a few days after Mr Dimitris Katsoudas, the Secretary General for Forests, came up with the idea to replace some of the most experienced civil servants in the Forest Protection Authority on the island. Mr Katsoudas is right when he says that he does not have the manpower nor the money to cope with the immensity of the task. Greece is simply too dry during the summer months and, it is true, people are not always co-operative. But is that all?
Someone came up with the idea to allow the creation of private fire brigades which will contribute to monitor Greece’s forests and prevent if not fight fires. The Canadian company Coner is actually counselling Mr Katsoudas on how to go about changing the prescription for dealing with the ailment. Coner came up with a plan that will necessitate the investment of about 40 billion drachmas for forest management and protection.
The plan advises the government to create an independent Forest Fund which will be responsible for “the management, protection and development of the forest ecosystems in order to implement a more realistic, rational and unequivocal forest policy.” One of the main points stated is that “it has been proved that forest fire fighting has to be assigned to permanent well-trained personnel in the fields of reaf¬forestation, guarding, fire fighting and planting and clearing.” In other words, there should be no difference between forest protection and forest management. As we all know, half of those employed to protect and manage Greek forests are part-timers hired during the summer months. One of those gentlemen got caught setting fire to a forest in Achaia in order, he later told the judge, “to keep his job.”
The Greek government has thus decided to create a “Council for the Protection of the Environment and the Quality of Life” in order to change its policy in the domain of land, forest and water management. Mr Tzannis Tzannetakis who is the Deputy Prime Minister and a politician well known for his integrity, is actually giving Mr Katsoudas a hand in the field of improving the quality of service provided by the official forest management in Greece. It sometimes takes politicians decades to do something. More than 20 years ago, many civil servants employed at the Secretariat for Forests had anticipated great difficulties ahead it something did not get down then. As we all know, the better the… politician, the better the deed!
If you think you’ve heard the best of it, listen to this: the Ministry of Agriculture decided to install 25-cubic-meter water tanks at the Poikilon Oros Mountain last June. There was a call to tender, but for some reason it did not bear fruit. So, the Nomarch decided to chose out the company to supply the aforenamed water tanks as long as they will not cost more than 41 million drachmas. The tanks were bought and cost 1,450,000 each, whereas a year before, the same tanks cost 800,000 drachmas each. Once installed, the tanks – melted! The Reafforestation Authority of Attica got the report and the tanks were mended where possible. That was that.
Furthermore, reafforestation was the task of the Secretariat for Forests until 1991 when it was decided to involve the private sector. In 1992, more than 20 projects have been implemented and more than one million trees have been planted. I would like to mention that prices are not very stable in terms of the planting and irrigation per tree: in February 1992, it cost 750 drachmas per tree at Eftaxia, Eleusis, and in May 1992, it cost 358 drachmas at Kalentzi, Marathon. The private sector was also involved in reafforesting areas, namely at Zofria and section 4 of the Poikilon Oros Mountain both of which were reafforested in 1990. The cost of this gracious act of the private sector was 240 million dachmas and 80 million drachmas respectively. Somebody is taking time by the forelock…
Never say die! If you entertain high esteem for reafforestation schemes, you might as well believe in Finnish reafforestation help graciously offered as being something to take cognizance of so long as we don’t get the arctic colors of Finnish forests. Finnish Christmas trees are fine to look at in a postcard, but don’t seem to marry with the light and colors of Greece.
Mr Katsoudas had announced the launching of the “Plant Your Roots in Greece” scheme a few months back and got me whimpering with delight. That’s actually where the shoe pinches for, to this day, nothing has been done which puts me out of sorts.
I am sure, though, that the General Secretary for Forests will solve the matter: let’s credit him with time and look to the main chance. Should you, for any personal reason, feel you would want to get some information on the “Plant Your Roots in Greece” scheme, then feel free to do so at FAX number 01-362.9275. Or even, should you feel the urge to get some information about the reafforestation schemes of the private sector like the ones mentioned above, then do not hesitate; send him a message.
