In the rehabilitation of the road surface TF-21 no tree will be felledbut will be transplanted to a plot adjoining the opuntia park for its expansion, qualified as a green zone and municipally owned. This is confirmed by Narciso Pérez, Councilor for Planning and Planning of the Territory of La Orotavawho affects what “The trees affected by the work are thus safeguarded.”
“The araucarias will not be cut down or transplanted,” he affirms, clarifying that this responds to a demand from the Orotavense municipal government accepted by the Highways area in a meeting held to evaluate this problem. A sidewalk will be made to safeguard these specimens, the mayor adds.
Regarding other trees located in the surroundings of the Humboldt Lookout, which do not comply with the distance parameter with respect to the shoulder of the road in accordance with road safety criteria. These are 20 specimens of pines and eucalyptus, as well as a Washingtonia palm tree. Its felling was the first option, but finally it will be transplanted in locations already proposed by the local government.
All this implies an extra cost of the work that the Cabildo will assume, with the commitment of the City Council of La Orotava to make available the necessary land to move all the copies. “Commitment fulfilled.”
Narciso Pérez assures that the work of the TF-21 has already begun. It runs between Santa Úrsula, continues along the Cuesta de la Villa, the Paseos de las Araucarias and Domínguez Afonso, Plaza de La Paz and Benítez de Lugo and Sor Soledad Cobian avenues, which make up the main entrance roads to La Orotava. This project includes the improvement of accessibility at bus stops and pedestrian walkways in the Las Cuevas Urbanization, “in response to the demands of the neighbours”. On Monday the actions to be introduced in the project will be determined and the relocation of the trees will be completed.
It should be remembered that last Thursday the municipalist formation Assembly for La Orotava, which has two councilors in the Orotavense consistory, denounced on its social networks that the action planned by the Cabildo to create a hard shoulder on the road that joins the municipalities of Santa Úrsula and La Orotava failed to comply with the agreement reached in the insular plenary session, where the Sí Podemos Canarias group presented a motion by which any action that affected the urban trees of Tenerife must go through the insular tree protection table. This action included the elimination of twenty trees on the TF-21 at kilometer 1.8.
