Aveyron: autumn, ideal time for clearing brush

It is the prefecture of Aveyron which reminds us in a press release: the period is ideal for carrying out brush clearing work. An awareness campaign is also being organized until December 15. The prefecture also takes the opportunity to “remind the risks incurred if these obligations are not respected”.

In recent years, fires of unprecedented scale have ravaged several European countries. France was not spared. In southern Aveyron, the summer of 2022 was marked by the Mostuéjouls fire (1,300 ha of forest destroyed), the most devastating. Ninety-one municipalities most exposed to forest fire hazards are thus subject to legal clearing obligations, mainly in the south and west of the department.

“To prevent this danger, clearing brush around homes, roads and other installations or equipment is the best protection. 90% of houses destroyed during forest fires were located in areas that were not or poorly cleared.“, underlines the prefecture. “Clearing brush around your home means creating a safety belt in the event of a forest fire, with the aim of protecting your loved ones, your property, biodiversity, your living environment and facilitating emergency response. This consists of creating a horizontal and vertical discontinuity between plants in order to limit the spread of fire.“, the press release continues.

9 essential actions are listed:
• cut bushy vegetation
• cut the branches in contact with your house, or even the trees themselves if they are too close (putting them at a distance);
• prune retained trees;
• remove shrubs under trees;
• cut down plants close to buildings, do not use plant mulch for paths, etc. ;
• limit the volume of hedges and keep them away from buildings;
• clean the gutters and remove leaves and pine needles;
• move wood reserves and any other fuel stocks away from buildings;
• ensure that plant residues are properly removed.