Regional councilors favorably voted for two FNDR programs that will benefit small and medium forest landowners affected by wildfires, an initiative in which National PymeMad actively participated.

In a session held this Wednesday, November 26, the Biobío Regional Council (CORE) widely approved two fundamental programs for the forestry sector: the Productive Recovery Program for Forests Affected by Wildfires, which received 24 votes in favor and only 3 against, and the Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Program, approved with 16 favorable votes, 2 rejections, and 1 abstention.

Both initiatives, funded with resources from the National Regional Development Fund (FNDR), represent an investment close to $14 billion and address an urgent need of the sector: the recovery of more than 130,000 hectares of forests burned in recent years in the region.

Michel Esquerre, national president of PymeMad, valued the Regional Council's decision. "We are pleased to see this as a first step. From the Regional Government, GORE, and all party representatives have approved reforestation for small and medium landowners affected by the wildfires," stated the union leader.

Esquerre highlighted that this initiative represents progress towards a state policy for the sector. "It is a first step for the State of Chile to finally have a forest promotion law for small and medium landowners, so valuable for reducing the carbon footprint and fulfilling the country's carbon-neutrality agreements," he affirmed.

The president of PymeMad emphasized that "the forestry sector needs to be revalidated from the productive foundations of small and medium landowners, from the SMEs. This is a small step but a great step at the same time. We hope that future governments will endorse this valuable project that means investing today to have enormous returns in the future."

This approval reaffirms PymeMad's commitment to the productive recovery of the forestry-timber sector and the protection of small and medium enterprises that sustain employment in the southern macrozone.