Catalonia approves the 2027 anti-fire plan with restrictions on forest access

The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food has approved the annual Plan for the prevention, surveillance, and extinction of forest fires of the Generalitat de Catalunya for the year 2027. This is done through Resolution ARP/3901/2026, of October 28, signed by the counselor Òscar Ordeig i Molist, published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) no. 9784, of October 30, 2026, in the other provisions section, with the reference CVE-DOGC-A-26301050-2026.

The regulation falls within the mandate of article 48.1 of Law 43/2003, of November 21, on forests, which obliges autonomous communities to prepare and approve annual plans facing the general risk of fires. This obligation was reinforced by Royal Decree-Law 15/2022, of August 1, on urgent measures regarding forest fires, which introduced the creation of these annual plans and established their minimum content in section 4 of article 48.

The calendar is also determined by law: the plans must be published before October 31 of the year prior to their application, meaning the resolution reaches the DOGC one day before this deadline. The regulatory development corresponds to Royal Decree 716/2025, of August 26, which approves the common guidelines and criteria for the annual plans. The competence to issue the resolution is based on article 12 of Law 13/1989, of December 14, on the organization of the Administration of the Generalitat, and article 16 of Law 13/2008, of November 5, on the presidency of the Generalitat and the Government.

A device for the whole year and the entire territory

The plan establishes the general device for the prevention, detection, and extinction of forest fires throughout the year and must cover the entirety of the Catalan territory, as required by the basic regulations. According to the published text, the document identifies the periods of highest risk and the critical points of the territory, and specifies the necessary technical and personnel means.

The content of the plan includes, at a minimum, these elements:

• Forecasts for the allocation of aerial and ground resources.
• Financing and organization of the device.
• Surveillance and extinction necessary to cover all of Catalonia.
• Identification of the highest risk periods and critical points.
• Climatic and other conditions that justify the intensification of operations.

Traffic restrictions and access to the natural environment

One of the practical consequences of the plan is the establishment of restrictions on vehicle traffic and the access of persons unrelated to fire management and extinction. These limitations are not general, but are activated based on the conditions provided for in the plan itself and the meteorological situation.

The approved text also provides for mechanisms to intensify operations when weather or other conditions justify it, such that the deployment of resources may vary throughout the year and according to the territory.

The technical annex is excluded from the bulletin

The resolution orders the text to be published in the DOGC, but expressly excludes the annex. This annex, which contains the technical development of the plan, is only accessible on the website of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food and the Transparency Portal of the Generalitat de Catalunya, via the link https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14916/151.

This means that the official bulletin contains the decision to approve the plan and its regulatory justification, but not the operational detail of resources, calendars, and zoning, which must be consulted electronically.

Effects on city councils and forest owners

The requirements of the annual plan are projected onto urban planning and private forest management. A report from the Forests and Forest Resources Section published in the DOGC on October 8, 2026, already reminded that special fire plans must adopt the measures of section 8.1.3 of the 2026 annual plan regarding the safety strip, the protection strip, and the provision of hydrants.

The 2027 plan arrives in a context that the resolution itself describes as an emergency situation: less precipitation, an increase in average temperature, and more forest area due to the abandonment of cultivated land. These conditions directly affect those who live near the forest, those who work there, and those who engage in leisure activities, and turn access restrictions into practical information for anyone wishing to enter the natural environment during risk periods.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC), no. 9784, of October 30, 2026, Other provisions (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26301050-2026; Resolution ARP/3901/2026).