Portuguese prisoners could be called upon to clean up forests and reduce risk as policymakers take new steps to address fire in Europe’s most flammable forests.
That is according to a new report in Portuguese media, which covers a proposed change to the country’s Criminal Policy being debated before Portugal’s Council of Ministers last week.
“In a chapter of the legislation dedicated to the prevention of forest fires, the executive establishes that “the Directorate-General for Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP), in coordination with prison establishments, develops and executes social reintegration and prison work programs, in accordance with the law, which include activities of public utility,” among which are “the cleaning, maintenance and enhancement of land, woods and forest areas,” it said.
At the same time, the policy also revealed that the “reconstruction, rehabilitation and recovery of natural spaces, infrastructure and equipment affected by fires” and the “execution of actions for the prevention of collective risks and civil protection” are the other activities listed.
Why Portugal’s fast-growing eucalyptus is a tinder box.
Last month, Wood Central revealed that Portugal’s forests are expanding faster than anywhere else in Europe, but the country’s rapid growth is coming at a steep environmental cost, with its relatively young eucalyptus plantations (from Australia) containing highly flammable oils that dramatically increase wildfire risk, and its water‑hungry roots dry out soils and intensify drought impacts. “Eucalyptus is more dangerous than other trees,” according to João Branco, president of the environmental group Quercus, who previously spoke to Politico about the species’ role in Portugal’s devastating.
“The leaves and the bark are very flammable, strips of bark hang off the trunks and are carried by the wind, spreading the flames,” Branco, a forestry engineer, added. “Large parts of the centre and north of the country are almost completely covered by eucalyptus, and it contributes to this type of fire.”
Native to Australia, eucalyptus was first introduced in Europe as an ornamental plant in the 18th century. It thrived in Portugal, where it was later used in reforestation and erosion control, and expanded rapidly from the mid‑20th century as demand for paper and pulp surged.
