The Assembly therefore recommends that the Committee of Ministers invite the member states to:
6.1 promote the development of activities encouraging the use of woodlands in a spirit of respect for the principles of sustainable development and, as far as possible, provide financial and fiscal support for these activities;
6.2 promote policies based on the principle that the best means of combating forest fires is prevention;
6.3 encourage the adoption of fire prevention measures involving forestry techniques such as firebreaks, the intelligent use of controlled burning, etc.;
6.4 develop preventive socio-economic strategies enabling farmers, breeders and foresters – the rural population in general – to continue with their usual activities in areas affected by fires;
6.5 promote scientific research on the potential of raw materials of forest origin, as an important factor for valorising forest exploitation and increasing its profitability;
6.6 organise information campaigns aimed directly at farmers, breeders and foresters on the need and obligation to put an end to practices (whether traditional or otherwise) which entail a fire risk, especially at certain times of the year;
6.7 adopt strategies for collecting and recycling residual forest biomass and for woodland diversification, planting and regeneration using more fire-resistant species in areas affected by fires, while bearing in mind local bioclimatic and environmental characteristics;
6.8 prevent material benefits or advantages being procured from the use of burnt surface areas or the sale of burnt wood;
6.9 prohibit changes in the use of fire-damaged mountain areas or woodland which prevent the regeneration of plant cover, and extend bans on urban development and construction in burnt areas to a minimum of thirty years;
6.10 provide by law for minimum distances to be observed between housing and forest areas for all new buildings in areas at risk;
6.11 prohibit the lighting of fires in forests in the regions and during the seasons at risk and envisage severe sanctions against offenders;
6.12 step up campaigns to raise awareness of this problem in schools and particularly among communities exploiting and engaging in mountain and woodland leisure activities;
6.13 increase criminal penalties for criminal acts which cause a substantial proportion of forest fires;
6.14 take the measures needed to reinforce the training of fire-fighting departments and teams and provide them with adequate resources;
6.15 set up a pan-European network for specialised further education, focusing on techniques for preventing and fighting forest fires which are more and more necessary to control the size and spread of forest fires;
6.16 set up detection systems and appropriate infrastructure facilities to ensure effective intervention as swiftly as possible, in order to prevent fires from going beyond the control level;
6.17 promote the adoption of co-ordinated intervention protocols and assign responsibility for forest fire management to local and regional authorities;
6.18 strengthen and finance co-ordination and intervention facilities, particularly airborne resources, with transfrontier scope;
6.19 accede, unless they have already done so, to the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement.
