The new agreement for the management of biomass in secondary strips or zones In Galicia, the process has taken a further step with the establishment and strengthening of its monitoring committee and the gradual addition of municipalities throughout the region. Following the major wildfires of recent years, the Galician government has committed to a more robust public system for clearing vegetation in areas near population centers.
This collaboration framework, signed between the Department of Rural Affairs and the public company SeagaIt is designed to help local councils and property owners comply with their legal obligations. clearing and maintenance of biomassespecially in areas declared at risk of fire. The agreement introduces more resources, more support for small municipalities, and a governance structure in which local councils take on a more direct role.
A monitoring committee with municipal representation
The monitoring committee for the new agreement, chaired by Director General of Defense of the Mountain, Manuel FranciscoIt has recently incorporated four Galician municipalities that will act as provincial representatives. These are: Carballo, Friol, O Pereiro de Aguiar and A Estrada, selected from among the first membership applications received.
These municipalities were chosen because they are the municipalities with the largest area included in secondary zone in each of the provincesThat is, in the areas closest to the inhabited centers where the biomass cleaning This is especially critical. In this way, the municipalities with the greatest management burden in this area will have a direct voice in the deliberations and decision-making regarding the practical application of the agreement.
The presence of these four municipalities on the commission aims to further integrate and involve local entities in the planning of actions and in the monitoring of results. From now on, they will be a permanent part of this body, contributing their experience and conveying the needs they identify on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Galician government (Xunta) is keeping the process open for other Galician municipalities to join the agreement. According to the latest data, 131 municipalities have already joined the agreement, which represents more than a third of all municipalities in Galicia, despite the fact that Fegamp The Galician Federation of Municipalities and Provinces decided not to sign it jointly. This data fits with the trend reflected in The current state of biomass in Spain and its expansion at the local level.
A more well-resourced public biomass management system
The central objective of the agreement is to consolidate a public biomass management system in the secondary stripsThis will allow for effective support to municipalities and landowners in clearing vegetation around homes and population centers. These safety strips act as firebreaks and are key to preventing large-scale forest fires.
One of the main new features of this framework is the significant increase in annual budget assigned to these tasks. The staff has doubled to reach 25 million euros per yearincluding a specific fund for cleaning secondary strips or buffer zones with €10 million per year. With this injection of resources, the Ministry of Rural Affairs seeks to guarantee that the work of Cleaning of secondary bands or strips can be carried out more extensively and frequently.
The agreement also introduces a Strengthening support for smaller municipalitiesparticularly those with fewer than 10.000 inhabitants. In these cases, the Xunta (Galician regional government) can assume the authority to order the subsidiary execution of biomass management works when landowners fail to comply with their obligations, thus alleviating the administrative and operational burden on rural municipalities. These types of measures are complemented by experiences with local networks such as the implementation of heating networks using biomass in Galician municipalities.
Another relevant aspect is the streamlining of the subsidiary executions in high fire risk areasThe 2026 budget regulations include mechanisms to allow the Administration to intervene more quickly and effectively if landowners fail to carry out mandatory clearing, preventing the accumulation of vegetation from becoming a fire hazard. These measures also raise debates about the Advantages and disadvantages of public management of biomass and its practical application.
More parishes prioritized and Seaga services at a lower cost
The agreement between the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Seaga significantly expands the list of priority parishesThese are areas where the risk is highest and where advantageous conditions for biomass management are offered. In these areas, landowners can contract Seaga's services at a reduced cost. The expansion of parishes is related to the consolidation of infrastructure and centers linked to biomass, such as the promotion of biomass centers in rural areas.
With the new agreement, the number of prioritized parishes It goes from 157 in 2025 to 276 in 2026This almost doubles the area covered by these enhanced measures. This increase aims to cover more particularly sensitive areas, where the combination of vegetation, topography, and the presence of housing makes ongoing action essential.
Under the agreement, Local authorities also receive support to review, modify or develop their municipal fire prevention plansFurthermore, the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Seaga collaborate on carrying out inspections and processing notifications to landowners who need to clear or clean their plots. These tasks are part of a broader framework of challenges and projects related to biomass in Spain, as outlined in sector analyses.
The text also includes the possibility that Seaga Carry out subsidiary biomass management work outside of prioritized parisheswith a limit of up to 10 hectares per municipality per year. In addition to this, cleaning up to 12 kilometers of municipal roads locally owned, acting on public land and reducing vegetation that can serve as fuel in case of fire.
Adherence of municipalities and position of Fegamp
The implementation of the agreement has been marked by a institutional debate between the Xunta and FegampFollowing the update to the agreement and the increase in investment to €25 million annually, the federation of municipalities decided not to sign the document, considering that it did not address some of its main demands. The context for these disagreements is framed within the challenges and conflicts posed by biomass in different territories.
Among the requests from Fegamp was that the The subsidiary execution by the Xunta was extended to municipalities with up to 15.000 inhabitants, instead of being limited to those with fewer than 10.000, and that the regional government would also assume full responsibility for the sanctioning procedure resulting from the non-compliance of the owners.
Despite the absence of a framework agreement with Fegamp, the agreement It went ahead and is being formalized individually with each town councilSo far, 131 municipalities have decided to join, attracted by the package of technical, economic, and operational support offered by the Department of Rural Affairs, as well as by the coverage provided by having a public biomass management system in their territory. Examples of economic and operational boosts can be seen in municipal and business initiatives within the sector.
Municipalities wishing to join only need to express their willingness to joinwithout the need to negotiate additional conditions. From then on, they become part of the network of municipalities that benefit from the agreement and can request the planned actions according to their needs and priorities.
The case of Laracha: continued collaboration with Medio Rural and Seaga
Among the municipalities that have already formalized their participation, the following stand out: Laracha City Councilwhich has renewed its collaboration agreement with the Regional Ministry of Rural Affairs and Seaga to facilitate biomass management in the secondary forest strips within its municipal boundaries. The main objective is prevent forest fires in areas near population centerswhere the accumulation of scrub and plant debris can pose a high risk.
Under this agreement, the Xunta and Seaga offer Laracha technical, economic and operational support for carrying out clearing work when subsidiary intervention is necessary due to non-compliance by the owners. Reinforced actions are also planned in prioritized parishes and the annual cleaning of up to 12 kilometers of municipal roads, focused on locally owned public land. These actions are complemented by the commissioning and operation of biomass plants and centers that facilitate territorial management.
For its part, the Laracha City Council assumes the commitment to Identify the people responsible for the plots included in the secondary stripsas well as processing the necessary communications and notifications to ensure that owners comply with their biomass management obligations. This coordination between local and regional administrations aims to streamline procedures and prevent delays in interventions.
The agreement in Laracha has valid until December 31, 2029The agreement, with the possibility of extension if the parties deem it appropriate, ensures medium-term planning for the cleaning operations, which is especially relevant given the increasingly dry summers and the greater risk of wildfires.
Cases like that of Laracha illustrate how local councils can take advantage of the agreement's structure to strengthen their local prevention policies, multiplying its capacity to act thanks to the technical and economic resources provided by the Xunta through Seaga.
Overall, the new biomass agreement in Galicia is configured as a key tool for land management and reducing the risk of fires in inhabited areasWith a larger budget, more prioritized parishes, and greater involvement of local councils in the monitoring committee, the agreement aims to transform the cleaning of safety zones from a weak link in the prevention chain into a structural policy, sustained over time and supported by a public system of support at the regional and local levels.
