The Environment area of the Municipality of La Laguna and the Table of the Tree met recently to continue working on the proposal that the association made to the Department, last year, for the recovery of the Tree Festival in the municipality. Although they called for a later meeting to work on a more firm proposal, the councilor for the area, José Luis Hernández, announced that, “in principle, it would be in the fall, perhaps in October”, although he clarified that it is not yet “defined ”.
“We are evaluating that if it were contemplated as a central activity to involve the students of the schools in reforestation activities, in the Mesa Mota and the slope of San Roque, and awareness, obviously the fall would be a good date,” explained Hernández.
In addition, it is “assessing whether it is done for a day or a week” and which of the activities that used to be done in the past for this festival could be recovered, such as “the hymn to the tree, of which the score exists, and they met all the bands of the municipality and interpreted it”, he added.
José Luis Hernández stressed that “I would like the essence of what the Tree Festival was to be respected and we want them to be activities that reach all corners of the municipality”, although he pointed out that “there is a preferential location to place tents for activities and exhibitions, because we are probably thinking of the Camino Largo, where, in addition, it was once done and it is a quite propitious place”.
“We saw that it was important to start this year, even if it was less ambitious and that it would gain more strength in coming years, and involve various areas of the City Council, so that it would be a cross-cutting activity”, he pointed out.
tree party
According to data from the Table of the Tree, compiled from newspaper archives and the media, in the early years of the 20th century the Tree Festival began to take place in Arafo, Icod, La Orotava, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and The lagoonwhere there is evidence that in 1907 it was held in mid-November.
On the other hand, the meeting also addressed the action protocol that is to be drafted for situations in which trees have to be cut down in urban spaces, and for which “the last option to be considered will be felling” and will include that for every felled tree two more are planted. “We are working, and I have asked them to also present the draft document they propose,” said the mayor.
