Uncleaned land? From tomorrow, there are fines (see here the figures)

O time limit for land cleaning in the field of prevention of rural fires, ends this tuesday, june 30, which means that starting tomorrow there are fines for those who have not fulfilled the obligation. What are the values? 

As fines for lack of cleaning can go from 150 to 1,500 euros, for natural persons and may reach 10,000 in specific cases and up to 25,000 for legal persons.

It should be recalled that the deadline for fuel management work on the secondary network under rural fire prevention measures was extended by the Government until 30 June, for the whole national territory, after in a first phase only apply in the municipalities covered by a declaration of calamity due to the storms of january and february. 

Owners ask authorities for “tolerance” before counter-ordering

However, according to the president of the National Federation of Associations of Forest Owners (FNAPF), Luís Damas, “there are many works that will still be going on.” So he added, what is being asked, particularly from GNR, is that people who have already said they were going to clean up should be given time.

“ The people who already said they would not be soon fined on day 01 [of July], but give them still time to solve the problem ", said Luís Damas, in statements to Lusa, defending “tolerance and pedagogy”, because associations, teams of shoemakers and contractors “have a lot of work in portfolio”.

How many have been arrested? 

According to the source of GNR, until Monday, there were “122 detainees and 781 identified suspects, totaling 2,869 forest fire crimes”.

The same source also indicated that, until Sunday, GNR recorded 4,091 occurrences of forest fire, when by May 30, 2,921, a number that compared with 795 occurrences in the same period until the end of May 2025.

Compared to last year, the 122 detainees exceeded by almost a hundred of the 23 arrests in 2025 and the 781 suspects identified had been 384 in the framework of 1,594 forest fire crimes.

In fuel management, for the prevention of rural fires, GNR “realized 8,548 land signs to be cleaned”, while in the same period last year “10,417 signs were made”, numbers until June 26, but reporting at the end of April.

However, GNR had “a reinforcement” of the activity under the storm Kristin, in the districts of Leiria, Castelo Branco, Coimbra and Santarém, having registered until May 30 “about 3,300 signs” of fuel load, which raises to at least 11,848 uncleaned land.

According to the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF), based on the Forest Fire Information Management System (SGIF), provisional data collected by Monday indicate that in 4,113 occurrences burned 14,145 hectares in rural areas, of which 28% forest settlements, 65% forests and 8% agricultural area.

Fuel management provides for cleaning up to 10 meters around buildings, in forest and agricultural spaces, to the secondary network, but it can go up to 50 meters in the case of specific equipment and infrastructure.