Creand Funds Forest Fire Prevention in Pyrenees, Employing Socially Excluded Workers

Creand's La Seu d'Urgell office is funding a forest management initiative by Fundació Privada Integra Pirineus at the Grau estate in Sant Joan Fumat, within Valls de Valira municipality. The project, part of the "Donem vida al bosc" programme, aims to establish a low-fuel zone across 1.2 hectares of scrubland featuring boxwood, buckthorn and wild rose, alongside scattered red pines and oaks.

Workers will perform selective scrub clearance, process wood from previously felled trees, and manually remove generated plant debris to reduce fire risk. Urgell Escribà, director of Integra Pirineus, noted that Creand's support ensures the area's social use while sustaining efforts to maintain low-vegetal-fuel spaces. These zones, she said, help temper potential fire ferocity and enable stronger firefighting operations.

Escribà pointed to decades of Pyrenean forest densification, driven by rural depopulation and the drop in traditional agriculture and livestock practices, which has heightened the region's vulnerability to major blazes.

Josep Vives, director of Creand's La Seu d'Urgell office, described the Grau work as a strong illustration of the bank's engaged model, rooted in deep local involvement. The collaboration with Integra Pirineus reflects Creand's resolve to remain active in Alt Urgell and the Pyrenees, he said. Vives stressed the project's twofold impact, as the forest management tasks are carried out by people at risk of social exclusion.

The foundation focuses on fostering social and employment integration for such individuals, with targeted support for those with intellectual disabilities or mental health issues.