Ourense notifies coercive fines for failing to comply with biomass management

The Ourense City Council published in the Official Gazette of Galicia (DOG no. 163, of August 28, 2026) two notification announcements to unknown owners who fail to comply with the obligation of plant biomass management and the removal of tree species in prioritized plots in the area of Cuarteis. The requirements, signed by Mayor Gonzalo Pérez Jácome, warn of coercive fines of €900 per hectare and the possibility of subsidiary execution, within the framework of file 2026034884.

The action is based on Article 22.3 of Law 3/2007, of April 9, on the prevention and defense against forest fires in Galicia, and comes after the council attempted to notify the responsible parties without success for reasons not attributable to the local administration. The affected plots, located in Cuarteis (Ourense), were inspected on June 8, 2026, and are listed as non-compliant with Article 21 of the same law.

Affected persons and plots

The two announcements identify six owners or holders of exploitation rights over the affected cadastral plots:

• Vazquez Rodríguez, Benito (heirs of), cadastral reference 4773148NG9847S0001PG.
• Inversiones Mirage, S.L., cadastral reference 4773169NG9847S0001UG.
• Community of Neighbors of Ourense, cadastral reference 4773165NG9847S0001JG.
• Heirs of Juan Suengas González, cadastral reference 4773168NG9847S0001ZG.
• Estrella Sanmamed Penín, cadastral reference 4773167NG9847S0001SG.
• Heirs of José Mondelo Prado, cadastral reference 4773147NG9847S0001QG.

Deadlines and fine amounts

The responsible parties have a maximum period of 15 calendar days for voluntary compliance, counted from the day following the publication of the announcement in the Official State Gazette. Should the non-compliance persist, the council may impose repeated coercive fines every three months:

• €900.00 per hectare of unmanaged surface, or the proportional part if the area is smaller.
• Minimum amount of €100.00 per fine, regardless of the plot’s hectares.
• Possibility of subsidiary execution by the administration, with the recovery of management costs and seizure of prohibited tree species.

The provisional settlement for the subsidiary execution works in the secondary strips is estimated at a price of €1,688.89 per hectare, with provisional amounts ranging from €8.29 to €235.10 depending on the affected surface.

Sanctioning procedure

Non-compliance constitutes an administrative offense classified as minor (Article 51.3.a of Law 3/2007), without prejudice to its consideration as serious. The maximum pecuniary sanction for a minor offense is €1,000.00 (Article 74.a of Law 43/2003, on forests), while for a serious offense it amounts to €100,000.00. The competence to initiate and resolve the proceedings corresponds, depending on the case, to the department with competencies in forestry matters or to the city council itself, and the precautionary seizure of the timber resulting from the cutting of the removed species is provided for.

The notification arrives in the midst of the forest fire prevention campaign, in a context where biomass management in protection strips is key to reducing the risk of fire. Affected owners may consult the full text of the communication on the electronic office of the acting city council.

Source: Official Gazette of Galicia, no. 163, August 28, 2026, section VI (Local Administration), pp. 46926-46932 (official references: CVE-DOG ljnic3k7-x9c2-6zf9-x820-xecmcgyjdrp5 and CVE-DOG wmkbjju3-fvd6-6jw2-dnw2-7hy9c04ti2x9).