Postponement of the Entry into Force of the Rural Fuel Management Regulation
Decree-Law No. 82/2021, of 13 October, which approved the Integrated Rural Fire Management System for mainland Portugal, provides in Article 47(3) that the technical standards relating to fuel management within the fuel management strips of the primary, secondary and tertiary networks, as well as within strategic fuel management mosaic areas, are to be defined in a regulation issued by the ICNF, I.P.
Accordingly, by Order No. 4223/2025, published in the Diário da República, 2nd Series, on 3 April 2025, the approval of the aforementioned regulation was published, which was initially intended to enter into force on 16 October 2025.
This Regulation sets out:
- In Articles 1 to 7, for the primary network, three distinct fuel management zones, which will be further developed in a technical manual to be published, as well as providing reference guidelines for fuel management.
- In Articles 8 to 14, for the secondary network, the criteria associated with management strips, distinguishing the applicable rules depending on whether they refer to:
- The road and railway network, the electricity transmission and distribution lines, and the transport of gas and petroleum products [Article 49(1)(a) and (b) of Decree-Law No. 82/2021, of 13 October]; or
- Built-up areas and the infrastructures supporting the Integrated Emergency and Security Networks System of Portugal (SIRESP) [Article 49(1)(c) and (f) of Decree-Law No. 82/2021, of 13 October].
- In Articles 15 and 16, for the tertiary network, the criteria traditionally applied within the scope of good forestry management practices, reinforcing their linkage with other components of the networks and fuel management areas.
- In Articles 17 and 18, for the strategic fuel management mosaic areas, consideration of the functions assigned and the different implementation typologies.
Despite its scheduled entry into force on 16 October 2025, Order No. 12429/2025, published in the Diário da República, 2nd Series, on 22 October 2025, postponed its entry into force to 1 January 2026. The justification presented was that, following the extensive wildfires that occurred this year, the regulation should undergo revision in order to better align with current realities arising from recent experience.
