Guided by the models of Spain, Italy, and the United States, Greece will proceed with the institutionalization of prescribed burning through the new bill of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection entitled ”Active Combat.” For the first time, the country will legally define «planned and controlled use of fire» under specific and strict conditions, officially recognizing it as a means of fire prevention and combustible material management. The Forestry Service and Fire Department will be responsible for planning and implementing the burns, while paving the way for cooperation and participation by the scientific community, NGOs, and private individuals.
According to Civil Protection sources, the planned and controlled use of fire will take place under specific conditions and specifications and for purposes such as forest vegetation management and fire prevention, improving habitats and pastures, protecting biodiversity, controlling diseases/insects, dealing with unwanted invasive plants, and providing operational training for firefighting personnel.
How will the prescribed combustion take place?
The design will be carried out jointly by each local forestry service together with the competent Regional Fire Service Administration and will be based on specific studies prepared by the forestry service and approved by the Fire Service. At the same time, according to the framework being promoted, the Fire Department will be able to propose high-risk areas and locations for inclusion in the studies, while the two bodies will be able to collaborate with scientific and research institutions. In particular, it is envisaged that the forestry service will be able to conclude memoranda of cooperation with academic and research bodies, technological bodies, NGOs with relevant expertise, as well as non-profit organizations or individuals with relevant expertise in scientific research. According to relevant sources, this essentially paves the way for the scientific community and specialized organizations to participate in the planning of burnings.
It is also worth noting that each approved burning plan will be activated following a request submitted either by the local fire department commander to the local forest ranger/forest director or vice versa. If there is no objection within a specified time frame (within 5 working days), the plan can be implemented.
As regards implementation, mixed teams consisting of forestry service and fire brigade personnel will proceed with this, following a joint decision by the Secretary General for Forestry and the Secretary General for Civil Protection. As Civil Protection sources point out, the formation of teams from both agencies is particularly important, as the involvement of the Fire Department will ensure unified management and operational responsibility for fire safety. The teams that will carry out the burning will include specialized personnel from the Fire Department (such as officers trained in firefighting and members of EMODE) along with foresters from the Fire Department and the local forestry service. In addition, it is envisaged that university institutions, research bodies, and NGOs involved in forest protection will be given the opportunity to participate in the teams, exclusively for research purposes, as observers or technical advisors.
With regard to private forests or private land, the written consent of the owner will be required. However, it is made clear that if this does not happen, intervention without consent will be possible by joint decision of the head of the Forestry Directorate and the commander of the Regional Fire Service, provided that it is clearly and explicitly documented that burning is necessary to protect the ecosystem.
A prerequisite for participation in the prescribed burning will be attendance at a training program, designed and implemented jointly by the General Directorate of Forests and the Fire Brigade Headquarters for Forest Service personnel and other agencies. According to relevant sources, the purpose of the program will be primarily to ensure that all participants receive special training in burning, as well as to develop and shape a common operational culture between forestry and firefighting personnel with regard to prescribed burning techniques.
Particular emphasis will be placed on the conditions under which the prescribed burning will take place. As pointed out by Civil Protection sources, burning is expected to take place outside the fire season and only during the day (from sunrise to two hours before sunset). However, there will be some exceptions during the fire season, which will be determined in the near future through a relevant decision. At the same time, climatic and meteorological data will be included in the safety criteria for carrying out the prescribed burning, as burning will be prohibited on days with a fire risk index of 4 or 5. According to the same sources, even close to the start of the fire prevention period, e.g. in April, burning will be allowed if certain conditions are met. The main principle behind this regulation is that fire should only be used when and where it is safe, i.e. without compromising the safety of personnel, citizens, or the natural environment.
When is it expected to be implemented?
According to Civil Protection sources, the measure is expected to be fully implemented after the end of 2027. More specifically, the transition period will last until November 30, 2027. During this period, the first regular combustion studies should be completed. Until then, in 2026, the measure is expected to be piloted through planning by the General Directorate of Forests and the Fire Service Headquarters, in collaboration with specialized scientific bodies. These burns will be carried out individually in priority areas, based on a documented request and the issuance of a permit by the relevant Fire Department (and will be carried out by specialized personnel, such as the “forest firefighting” units), after examining factors such as location, purpose, weather conditions, safety measures, and technical readiness. The pilot phase, as the same sources point out, serves as a tool for «learning by doing» and is crucial for gaining practical experience, testing procedures, and identifying necessary improvements before the institution is implemented on a wider scale from 2027 onwards. At the same time, according to the same sources, the pilot program in Chios in 2022-2023 (WWF Greece – Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems of ELGO «DEMETRA») had positive results, it highlighted the need for a clear institutional framework, roles, and responsibilities. For this reason, as the relevant sources point out, the new regulation aims to fill this gap, transforming controlled burning from a prohibited practice into a tool for modern forest protection, with safety, documentation, and inter-agency coordination.
The thematic evaluation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism paved the way for regulation
The thematic evaluation (Peer Review) of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for forest fire risk management in Greece (2023-2024) pointed out, among other things, that the country has entered a new «fire climate regime,» making the strengthening of prevention an urgent necessity. For this reason, as emphasized, this transition requires a radical restructuring of combustible material management policies, as well as a redesign of operational procedures and decision-making systems, so that the operational mechanism can function with high-resolution data, scientific forecasts, and modern risk indicators. With regard to prescribed burning in particular, it should be noted that the introduction of this measure in Greece is not only a reform of national importance, but also a tool that enhances the possibility of drawing on European funds, given the completion of the «Antinero» programs. Taking these guidelines into account, an attempt is being made to align with these recommendations since, as sources from the Civil Protection Policy emphasize, the proposed legislative initiative incorporates them as follows:
– establishes common procedures for the planning and implementation of prescribed burning.
– upgrades Regional and Local Plans.
– introduces common planning and decision-making bodies.
– strengthens scientific support structures that require joint participation by both bodies.
Finally, it is worth noting that although prescribed burning is recognized internationally—for example, in the Italian model (fuoco prescritto) and in the programs of Galicia in Spainas a key tool for integrated forest fire management and fuel reduction, in Greece, as highlighted by Civil Protection sources, it has remained essentially prohibited or institutionally «invisible» for decades, and until recently it was only applied sporadically, in small-scale pilot projects such as the one on Chios.
Ioanna Kardara
