From Jose Chulvi's Facebook - Feb 19th 2018
Xàbia Town Hall will reforest small areas of the Granadella with indigenous trees which are more resistant to fire
This week begins a new phase in the forest recovery project in the public forest of Granadella, which was affected by a serious fire in September 2016 that burned 812 hectares.
Following a similar plan to that which has already been implemented in La Plana, from the municipal Department of the Environment has chosen to facilitate conditions which favour natural regeneration in most of the soil and to repopulate small specific areas with native species which are more resistant to fire such as carob or wild olive trees, thus restoring the agrarian landscape. This activity will now take place due to the optimal conditions of the land following the recent rains and in parallel with the latest forest recovery and fire prevention work coordinated by the municipality, which will last until summer.
These works were initiated by the Town Council a few days after the fire and have involved the Regional Department of Agriculture, the Provincial Council of Alicante and the Ministry of Agriculture. The strategy agreed during technical meetings of the four administrations involves an investment of nearly one million euros: 400,000 euros contributed by Xàbia, 250,000 euros from the Provincial Council, 200,000 from the Generalitat Valenciana and 150,000 from the State.
To the investments of the administrations, must also be added the social awareness to the great damage suffered by a space as emblematic as the Granadella, which resulted in donations from companies and associations, in addition to the contribution of hundreds of people who bought solidarity calendars.
Today the mayor, José Chulvi, together with the government delegate, Juan Carlos Moragues, the mayor of Poble Nou de Benitatxell, Josep Femenia, and the general director for the Prevention of Forest Fires of the Generalitat Valenciana, Delia Álvarez, checked the change in the forest areas after the environmental restoration of the forest lands and the accesses to the Granadella Cove, the restoration of soils, pest control works. In addition to the removal of dead pines after the fire.
Municipal officials recalled the difficult times experienced during the fire and the problems with the start of the recovery project. Since last winter the area has suffered several episodes of torrential rains that caused tree fellings, heavy runoff, ash and acceleration of erosive processes in the burned areas. However, the Granadella begins to show symptoms of recovery, with a scrubland that is beginning to green again.