Grup Boix Warns of Wildfire Risk and Calls for Stronger Forest Management as Winter Begins

The Berguedà-based company Boix, a leading player in forest management and wood transformation, is issuing a public call to strengthen forest management at the start of winter—a period when wildfire risk fades from headlines, yet when most of the preventive actions that help reduce it are carried out. Boix stresses that effective wildfire prevention takes place during the colder months, when it is possible to reduce forest fuel loads and improve the overall condition of forest ecosystems.

A Critical Year for Wildfires in Europe and Spain

Grup Boix warns that 2025 has been a critical year for wildfires across Europe. According to data from the European Union’s Joint Research Centre, more than 1,031,000 hectares have burned across the continent since the beginning of the year—almost three times more than during the same period in 2024. In total, 2,187 wildfires have been recorded, with associated CO₂ emissions exceeding 42 million tonnes, double the figure of the previous year. The EU confirms that this has been the worst year on record in terms of burned surface area.

The largest wildfires have been concentrated in Portugal, Spain, southern France, Greece and southern Italy, as well as in parts of Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The Iberian Peninsula—particularly its western regions, including large areas of Castile and León, Extremadura, Portugal and parts of Galicia—has been the scene of most fires exceeding 5,000 hectares.

In Spain, the situation has been especially severe. As of 25 November, the burned area reached 392,923 hectares, accounting for 39% of all land affected by wildfires in the European Union in 2025. A significant increase in off-season fires has also been observed, with severe episodes occurring in spring and autumn.

Catalonia: Forests Growing Faster Than They Are Managed

The company believes this context highlights the urgent need to strengthen forest management, particularly in regions such as Catalonia, where forests are growing much faster than they are being managed. According to sector data, Catalonia’s forest mass grows at approximately three times the rate at which it is managed through selective harvesting. This accumulation of biomass—often in ageing and poorly managed forests—greatly increases wildfire risk and reduces forests’ ability to act as major natural carbon sinks.

For Boix, sustainable forest management—based on selective cutting, ongoing maintenance and natural regeneration—is both an environmental and social responsibility. “The wood we manage is part of a vital cycle that preserves environmental balance. An abandoned forest is a vulnerable forest, both to wildfires and to climate change,” explains Carles Martí, Chief Executive Officer of the group.

Fifty Years of Experience and Commitment to the Territory

With more than fifty years of history, the group has been a pioneer in Catalonia in establishing its own in-house team of forestry engineers and operates under PEFC and CatForest certifications, which guarantee best forestry practices and respect for the ecological functions of forest ecosystems. The company maintains that active forest management helps reduce risks, create skilled employment and promote a local bioeconomy closely linked to the territory.

Rooted in the Berguedà region yet with a clear European outlook, Boix reiterates that, in a context of climate emergency and increasingly long and unpredictable wildfire seasons, forest management must be a priority. “Protecting today’s forest is ensuring tomorrow’s,” the company concludes.