63. Forest fires in the EU : prevention and restoration

The European Union has 160 million hectares of forests, which corresponds to 40 per cent of its territory. Forests are an economic and ecological wealth that are directly impacted by many threats: global warming, parasites, diseases, storms and of course, fires. It is impossible to ignore the devastating fires that ravage the forests of southern Europe every summer. How are European forests doing today? How can they be protected and repaired?

In the 63rd episode of Food for Europe we take you to Portugal, where Jorge Brito, executive secretary of the Coimbra region, looks back at the measures put in place to regenerate the forest ravaged by deadly fires in 2017 and ensure the protection of the population. Pierre Hermans, forester and founder of the private firm Sylva Nova, explains how he integrates global warming into the solutions he offers to his clients across Europe. Finally, Jérémie Crespin, policy officer at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, a specialist in forests, discusses the state of European forests and the role of the Common Agricultural Policy to prevent forest fires.