The Cabildo to Replace Radiata Pine with Monteverde in Area Affected by the 2023 Fire
The Insular Corporation approves the assignment to Gesplan for overseeing the work with an investment of approximately €580,000
The Cabildo of Tenerife will invest approximately €580,000 to coordinate and oversee the replacement of radiata pine with specimens of monteverde in the area affected by the 2023 fire. The Insular Corporation has recently approved the assignment to the public company Gesplan for managing the works, which are scheduled to take 27 months. The tasks will include participation in the collective and external management of integrated forestry work in pine forests, specialised technical work for controlling forest products, and complementary restoration activities of monteverde in areas previously occupied by radiata pine.
Significant Efforts Ahead
The Councillor for Natural Environment, Blanca Pérez, explains that “following the 2023 fire, progress has been made in rehabilitating the affected area by restoring vegetation, protecting the soil, and reconstructing infrastructure. However, substantial and technically complex work still lies ahead. We are discussing silvicultural treatments for reforestation of pine forests, along with sustainable management and protection of woodlands, particularly in terms of forest roads and hillside work. We must tackle the removal of radiata pine in the most challenging areas, which involve steep slopes and difficult access, necessitating careful programming.”
Goals of the Project
Pérez outlines that “the goal is to replace the radiata pine, an invasive and highly flammable species, with monteverde species that are more fire-resistant. To achieve this, a series of supporting or complementary forestry works are necessary in addition to the integrated silvicultural treatments for the radiata masses, with subsequent restoration using monteverde, which will be executed by Gesplan through this assignment.”
Tasks to be Undertaken
1.- Participation in the collective and external management of integrated forestry work in pine forests, included in the projects: ‘Project for operations in areas of radiata pine with complex operability due to GIF TF23’, ‘Project for silvicultural fire protection operations in the vicinity of the Protected Landscape of Las Lagunetas’, and ‘Project for comprehensive improvement in repopulated Canary pine masses’.
2.- Specialised technical work for controlling forest products obtained from silvicultural treatments executed in accordance with the following projects: ‘Project for operations in areas of radiata pine with complex operability due to GIF TF23’ (excluding Lot 3), ‘Project for silvicultural fire protection operations in the vicinity of the Protected Landscape of Las Lagunetas’ (excluding Phase 1), and ‘Project for comprehensive improvement in repopulated Canary pine masses’ (excluding Phase 1). The products are those resulting from restoration work in the fire-affected area, made available through subsidised in-kind support, community uses, and auctions.
3.- Complementary restoration work for monteverde in areas previously occupied by radiata pine. The scope of the assignment includes technical assistance for drafting a project for constructing a forestry plant nursery at the Aguamansa Environmental Centre (La Orotava), managing the construction work, and providing specialised technical work for infrastructure associated with hydraulic networks managed by the technical services of Planning and Forestry Project Management of the Cabildo.
