Discussing the spatial dependence and the determinants of themunicipal expenses of Portuguese forest sappers’ teams

The costs of forest sappers’ teams are discussed in this work, using the present Portuguese model as a case study. The teams’ actions and expenses between 2000 and 2015 have been observed, and several hypotheses for the distribution of the shares of municipal expenditures on these brigades are discussed. Using spatial autocorrelation models, spatial autoregressive models, spatial Durbin models, and spatial error models, several original results have been achieved. A positive spatial autocorrelation in the shares of these municipal expenditures has been observed for the first time in the literature, revealing a mimetic approach among Portuguese municipalities that implies the need for re-arranging the current programs and regulations related to forest sappers’ teams towards an enlarged space of action.