Cleanup work completed Also Syngrouthe first of the urban woodlands to undergo extensive intervention years later. Ministry of the Environment claims that the work was necessary for fire protection purposes, while almost all of the biomass that had been cut or trimmed was “returned” to the estate. Syngrow Manor943 acres, located on the border municipalities of Kifisia, Amaroussi and Melissia. Since 1988 it has been managed (this is a testament) by the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IGE). His clean-up work under the Ministry of the Environment’s fire fighting program began in the summer, was interrupted and resumed in mid-autumn, without missing the reactions of the residents who claimed that a disaster was happening (see “K” 11/26/22). The work was completed a few days ago. “People will suddenly see it differently,” says O. George Balotis, Director of IGE. “Parts of it that have not been touched for decades have been cleared away. As an agronomist, I want to reassure people that not a single plant was uprooted, but cut off, many have already grown back. Therefore, bushes and all low vegetation will be restored.”

Deputy Minister of the Environment George Amiras protects work done on behalf of the ministry by a private contractor (in this case, Mesogeios). “Citizens are used to inaction, inaction. When you don’t see them cutting a single branch in years, it’s only natural that some people react. But most people say “finally” because they understand that in the event of a fire, there will be nothing left. The grove had to be cleared for 42 years, part of it turned into a jungle. The work was carried out after the study of fire protection by the Directorate of Forests of Attica and under the control of the forest service.

In the grove, all the trees were cut to a height of 2.5-3 meters, dead trees and branches were cut down, and the undergrowth (shrubs, low vegetation) was largely removed. “We broke the existing vertical continuity so that in the event of a creeping fire, it would not climb trees. We thinned out, cut down diseased trees, of course, left many plantings intact to make nests for birds and reptiles.” It is estimated that about 5,000 cubic meters of biomass was crushed and thrown through the grove as a soil conditioner. The felled logs remained in the grove, and the possibility of distributing them to parishes is being discussed. Finally, the branches were placed at the roots of the trees.

“I would like the cleanings to be periodic,” says G. Balotis. “I don’t know what form we could come up with for it, but we don’t have to wait 20 years for the grove to be cleared again.”