Following the announcement by the State of the elimination of 95 positions at the National Forestry Office (ONF), the Association of Forestry Municipalities and Communities of Gard is protesting.
In a press release, the elected representatives of the association clearly state their opposition to these job cuts, and affirm that “The forestry and climate challenges of tomorrow require an awareness that the State does not seem to want to take on! » The ONF, which notably ensures the management of public forests, supports municipalities in this management, but also in fire prevention.
The association recalls that the resources allocated to the ONF represent “0.02% of the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture (…) while public forests represent 11% of the surface area of France”. The association also notes that the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture “is increasing by 1.6 billion this year 2024, going from 6 to 7.6 billion! » All this knowing that at the same time, the government is asking communities to make 5 billion euros in savings, “a double punishment” for elected officials, believes the association.
Regarding job cuts, “It is unacceptable for the preservation of forests and it is unacceptable for municipal budgetsestimate the municipalities and forestry communities of Gard. As a reminder, this announcement comes less than a month after the release of a report from the Court of Auditors. This criticizes the policies which dismantle the ONF, recommends increasing funding and payroll, taking care of biodiversity and calls for real awareness from the State of the need to care about the French forest which is in real danger. And the exact opposite is proposed! The French public forest is going straight into the wall even though it is a solution to the fight against climate change. »
For the president of the association, the mayor of Lirac Cédric Clemente, the State “only has an economic vision when the issue is climate and of general interest”. The president of the association reaffirms that “Elected officials are attached to the field technicians who advise elected officials on a daily basis in the management of their municipal forest or who help them in preventing fire risk. »
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