Pamplona (EFE).- The departments of Economic and Business Development and of Rural Development and Environment have completed the clearing of eight hectares of forest on the agricultural route of the Salacenco shepherds as it passes through Cáseda and Lumbier.
It is Traviesa number 11, a transhumant route followed by cattle on their journeys between the Salazar Valley and the Ribera de Navarra, reports the Provincial Government in a statement.
This action responds to the need expressed by the ranchers who still use these roads to manage their cattle in order to facilitate extensive livestock activity, reduce the risk of fires and value this ancestral nomadic culture.
The first spring climb to the Pyrenean pastures
At the conclusion of the clearing work, carried out during the month of May, the first of the spring ascents of the shepherds from the Ribera de Navarra to the Pyrenees took place to transfer the herds to the fresh pastures of the Salazar Valley. .
They will remain there until September, when they will return to the south to take advantage of the last stubble and richness of the crops and spend the winter in a milder climate.
The work carried out has consisted of clearing the entire width of the livestock trail, respecting the relevant vegetation in a section with a strong presence of scrub and combustible material.
A clearing that also serves as a firewall
This situation not only prevented the normal transit of transhumant cattle, forcing them to invade the adjoining crop fields, but also posed a risk of any fire, also considering the proximity of a pine forest of more than 100 hectares.
In this way, the double purpose of creating a natural firebreak between the pine forests on both sides of the road has been fulfilled, so the influence of this improvement goes beyond the hectares on which intervention has been carried out.
Clearing has also been done in Lumbier, at the river trough, a large resting area for cattle. After the intervention, it will be the cattle themselves with their grazing that will keep the area clean.