Recovery of Evia forests to be handled by locals, says minister

The recovery of tens of thousands of acres of forestland in northern Evia devastated by this month’s wildfires will be handled by local forest cooperatives and resin farmers, Environment Minister Kostas Skrekas said Thursday.

In the first phase of recovery, the task of building defenses to protect burnt land from soil erosion and flooding in the fall will be assigned to local cooperatives by the relevant forestry services and not to contractors, Skrekas told Mega TV.

Skrekas also responded to criticism that the government has assigned part of the recovery effort to private companies, explaining that several firms came forward and offered their services to clear burnt trees and other debris that could pose a hazard.

He assured that any private companies involved in the recovery effort in any capacity will be hiring locally, while he also announced funding worth 25 million euros for northern Evia’s forest cooperatives.