Room for growth in Javea, Costa Blanca

GRANADELLA’S gorse and pines are being cleared to reduce the risk of fire. Following the fire that devasted 812 hectares of Javea and in September2016, biologists recommended planting mastic trees, kermes oaks and arbutus, all native species less vulnerable to fire than pines.
Since then the blackened countryside has self-regenerated and Vaersaemployees have removed the gorse as well as pines. In some cases, the trees were a metre-and-a-half high and their removal will make more room for the fire-resistant species to grow.
The operatives from publicly-owned Vaersa, which carries out environmental services for the regional government, is also repairing the drystone terracing which, pre-2016, was both hidden by the dense pines and often damaged by their roots.