Despite recent rainfall, the state of the forests in the Maresme region remains critical. Data shows that accumulated drought has caused high mortality of pine and oak trees, with double the number of trees lost during 2024 compared to the previous year. This situation is serious, as nearly two-thirds of the regional territory is forestland.
This scenario was analyzed at a technical meeting at the Consell Comarcal del Maresme, attended by administrations, natural parks, forest owners, ADF, and Firefighters. All stakeholders agreed that dead or severely affected trees cannot be recovered, and efforts must focus on protecting healthy forests.
“"The deterioration of the forest poses a direct risk to safety. The combination of high population density, intensive recreational use, and the presence of housing in forest areas increases the danger of fires."
Councillor Marta Gómez also pointed out that the loss of forest mass increases the risk of flooding during intense rains. Therefore, she has called on the Generalitat (Catalan Government) for more exhaustive monitoring of the forests' condition, warning that the short and medium-term outlook remains worrying.
Experts emphasize that active forest management is crucial, including the removal of dead trees and improvement work on the forest mass to better withstand climate change. However, they warn that these tasks will only be viable if the economic resources allocated to the sector are significantly increased.
