📋 Tender Overview
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food has allocated more than two million euros to improve fire-fighting infrastructure in Slovenian forests in 2023 and 2024. The funds were used to build 400 kilometers of fire-fighting roads, build a helicopter landing pad, and install 40 hydrants to supply firefighters and helicopters with water.Fire Road | Author: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. Forest fires are one of the most important factors affecting the development of forests in Slovenia. Most fires occur in the areas of Karst, Primorje and Istria, where climatic conditions and human activity are key risk factors. Analyses show that the main cause of fires is human negligence - most of them are caused by trains (falling brake lining particles), followed by agricultural work, visitors and military exercises. In the period 2010-2020, an average of 85 fires were recorded annually, affecting 255 hectares of forest areas. In 2022, we faced the largest forest fire in the history of Slovenia, which covered approximately 3,700 hectares, of which 2,900 hectares were forest. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF) responded quickly after the fire was extinguished and, within the framework of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, introduced a sub-measure Support for the prevention of damage to forests due to forest fires and natural disasters and catastrophic events. The aim of the measure was to improve fire-fighting infrastructure and reduce the risk of fires. The support was intended for the construction and fire-fighting maintenance of: fire-fighting roads (forest roads, paths), fire-fighting runways and walls, areas for off-airport helicopter landings, dedicated water sources (wells, hydrants) for supplying firefighters and helicopters with water. The beneficiaries were forest owners, agricultural communities, local communities and managers of state forests. The support rate was 100 percent of eligible costs. In 2023 and 2024, four public tenders were published, and the Agency for Agricultural Markets and Rural Development approved 146 applications and paid out 2,000,391.47 euros. With these funds, we enabled: the arrangement of 403 kilometers of fire roads, the construction of an area for off-airport helicopter landing, the arrangement of one jetty and the installation of 40 hydrants to supply firefighters and helicopters with water. Prolonged droughts and high temperatures brought about by climate change increase the risk of fires. With improved fire-fighting infrastructure, the MAFF reduces the possibility of fires spreading and ensures faster and safer extinguishing.
