Through this agreement, GEBE and ASRK have indicated that the Baso Kudeaketa Bermatua (BKB) service will be strengthened. This initiative is aimed at over 2,800 individuals and entities associated with GEBE, who manage 51,000 hectares of forest, equivalent to 41.5% of all wooded areas in the territory.
BKB is an alternative for forest owners who, without wanting to lose control and decision-making over their land, find themselves compromised or unable to maintain sustainable and active forest management on their mountains.
The agreement, framed within the environmental line of Rural Kutxa's Social Action, includes funding for 60% of the technical direction cost associated with BKB services. This funding will apply to all active contracts signed between GEBE and its associates within this program. The BKB service already manages approximately 200 hectares for 21 owners in Gipuzkoa.
This service offers a solution based on the planning and execution of sustainable forest management, and advises on selecting the most suitable tree species for new plantations. Furthermore, owners have the option to fully delegate management, as GEBE will be responsible for contracting and/or carrying out tasks such as pruning, thinning, appraisals, felling, forest regeneration, clean-ups, aid applications, regulatory compliance, forest health issues, sales support, or technical visits to the forest.
The signed agreement also seeks to facilitate generational succession and promote a more ordered, productive, and sustainable forest model. According to GEBE and ASRK, Gipuzkoa's forest area has been undergoing a significant transformation in recent years due to the spread of brown band disease, which affects the main tree species in Gipuzkoa, the insignis pine. In this transformation and diversification of species, new ones such as Sequoia sempervirens, Cryptomeria japonica, or Cedrus atlantica are being added, alongside the insignis pine, Atlantic mixed forest, beeches, oaks, Douglas firs, larches, Corsican pines, holm oaks, and maritime pines.
