Lisbon, March 17, 2026 (Lusa) - The government has extended the deadline for clearing land in municipalities covered by a declaration of calamity to 30 June, within the scope of fuel management in the secondary network, setting 31 May as the limit for the remaining municipalities.
The deadlines for fuel management in the secondary network for mainland municipalities are determined annually by the government, to contribute to "reduce the spread of rural fires, the mitigation of risks associated with extreme phenomena and the reinforcement of territorial resilience".
In a joint order from the secretaries of state for civil protection and forests, the government said that the circumstances experienced this year, due to bad weather, justify "the extension of the deadline for the execution of works associated with the installation or maintenance of the secondary network, taking into account the different realities experienced in the various regions of the country".
As such, work on the secondary network of fuel management strips can continue until 31 May 2026.
However, an exception applies to municipalities covered by a declaration of calamity due to bad weather in 2026, allowing those works to continue until 30 June.
Owners with land less than 50 metres from residential buildings or economic activities will have to carry out fuel management in a 50-metre strip in forest territories or 10 metres in agricultural territories.
In population clusters located in or bordering forest areas, fuel management is mandatory within an outer strip of at least 100 metres, a distance also provided for campsites, industrial parks, and landfills.
After these deadlines, non-compliance subjects owners to inspection and possible fines.
In the order, the government stressed that the current year "has been characterised by a winter with persistent periods of heavy rain, sometimes associated with strong winds, which have hindered the normal development of agricultural and forestry work and, also, of fuel management work on the secondary network".
On the other hand, the "catastrophic effects" of the passage of depression Kristin at the end of January forced the "urgent mobilisation of considerable resources for emergency civil protection tasks" in the most affected municipalities.
There is also a need to "ensure the continuity of forestry exploitation and stand cleaning work in the coming months, with an exceptional allocation of material and human resources, given the devastation that has occurred", it added.
RCS/LYT // ADB.
Lusa
