The president of the Council of Tenerife has visited the areas affected by the fire last summer in the municipalities of Los Realejos, San Juan de la Rambla, La Guancha and Icod in which the insular administration invests more than 4,441,000 euros, with some emergency work that has already begun for the recovery of the slopes and actions in the channels. These tasks already occupy more than a hundred people and foresee the use of drones to spread seeds of species typical of the monteverde or laurel forest on the slope of Tigaiga in Los Realejos.
“The island corporation has launched a battery of actions in which more than ten local companies and in which 112 people work carrying out a first intervention on 40 hectares of the more than 2,700 affected by the fire”, has indicated Peter Martin.
“Shortly after the fire last summer, we have begun to work on the work to recover the clues that lead to the fire areas, improve the firebreaks and repopulate with new vegetation that is more resistant to fires, in addition to the installation of dynamic protection barriers”, indicated the island president, Peter Martin on a recent visit to the area where crews are already operating.
“We can already verify the works that are being carried out, which will continue until the middle of next year, and that throughout 2023 they will improve an entire space that was on fire at the time, 2,700 hectaresfor a repopulated area with new vitality”, pointed out the president, who added that “some of these areas are impassable by the work teams due to the orography, which is why other systems such as seed dispersal through drones”.
The president, together with the counselor of the Natural Environment and Security Management area, isabella garciaand its technical team and the councilors of the municipality of Los Realejos Domingo Garcia, Benito Devora and Miguel Agustin Gonzalezthey traveled some of the 12.85 hectares from sector four. In this environment, the work teams carry out pruning and chipping of burned elements, generation of clean and clear fajinadas and other forestry actions, with the aim of preparing them for the reinforcement of slopes and actions against runoff in the event of rain. . In addition to four in this sector, work is being carried out as a priority in another seven, which together add up to an area that reaches 195 hectares.
“The works will continue until the middle of next year, and throughout 2023 they will improve an entire space that burned down at the time, 2,700 hectares, for a repopulated area with new vitality”
“The Cabildo has reacted urgently to the serious problem that the fire caused once it was extinguished”, indicated the counselor isabella garciawho pointed out that “such a complicated orography threatened the safety of people and for this reason we have launched a battery of actions that are already bearing fruit, although it is a long job and that will last for several years, due to the expanse of the burnt mountain”.
Regarding reforestation, the technicians explained to the president that due to the inclination of the land of the slope of Tigaiga planting species is impossible to do manually, so drones will be used to spread seeds of species typical of monteverde like torvisco daphne gnidiummalfurada (Hypericum grandifolium), malpica, (Carlina xeratheroides)algaritofe (Cedronella canariensis)granadillo, (Hypericum canariense)cross, (Hypericum reflexum)vinegar (rume)pennyroyal (Bystropogon canariensis x lunaria)chajorra (sideritis canariensis) and broom, (Chamaecytisus proliferus).
On the other hand, and in the perimeter of the fire, the Cabildo is working on the recovery of more than 40 kilometers of three forest roads which, due to the passage of firefighting vehicles, were affected. For this, a machine called stone crusher which uses the track’s own bearing material, crushing stones up to 30 centimeters in diameter and reusing them to generate a new pavement.
The rest of the actions of this first intervention contemplate the realization of orthophotos and digital models of the terrain of the burned area, renewal and replacement of signage, monitoring of ecosystems, installation of drinking fountains and houses for birds and bats, repairs of hydraulic infrastructures or construction of fences to exclude herbivores in Teide National Park.
