The wildfire season is now well underway. Spain is already ablaze. The question now is whether Kythira will be next.
Some cleanup work has finally been carried out in the Gerakario Forest. Any effort that helps reduce the risk of fire is welcome. Unfortunately, however, four weeks of work cannot make up for years of neglect.
From the road, the result looks reassuring. At first glance, the forest appears cleaner and better maintained. But appearances can be deceiving. You only need to walk fifteen meters away from many of the forest roads to see a completely different picture. Dead trees remain scattered throughout the forest, exactly where they have stood for years, waiting for the next forest fire.
Even more striking is what has been left behind. At the base of hundreds—perhaps even thousands—of trees, piles of cut branches and timber have accumulated. From a forest management perspective, the accumulation of such a large quantity of dry combustible material around the bases of living trees is difficult to justify. If the goal were to maximize the intensity of a forest fire, it would be hard to choose a more effective method. The only thing that seems to be missing is a can of gasoline.
Perhaps the Domestic Property Office assumed that the residents of Kythira would collect the timber for their own use. If that was the expectation, it did not come to pass. Hundreds of metric tons of dry timber remain exactly where they were left, drying out under the summer sun and waiting for a single spark.
In other parts of the forest, dozens of dead trees still stand. They are not merely an eyesore; they are among the most dangerous fuels in a forest fire. When they catch fire, they produce extremely high temperatures, shoot burning embers and cinders over long distances, and dramatically increase the likelihood that a controlled fire will turn into an uncontrollable disaster.
Gerakari is one of Kythira’s most important natural treasures. It deserves more than just a superficial cleanup that’s visible only from the road. It deserves serious and comprehensive forest management, with a substantial reduction of fuel load throughout the entire area, rather than simply creating the impression that something has been done.
The coming months will show whether this is a genuine effort to prevent fires or merely a symbolic gesture. Let’s all hope that we in Kythira won’t have to find out the answer under a massive column of smoke.
Congratulations, Mr. Venardo. It seems that the Gerakari Forest is now ready for the fire season. Let’s just hope that the fire season isn’t equally ready for Gerakari.
Areti Chanioti
