The Natural Environment area of Council at Tenerife is hosting the second auction for the wood affected by the 2023 forest fire that started on August 15 in the Candelaria and Arafo mountains. The fire scorched 15,000 hectares across twelve municipalities before being extinguished on November 10. The auction will take place on Monday, June 3, at 1:00 p.m., in the Press Room at the Santiago Martin Pavilion (La Hamburguesa). There will be five lots available, primarily consisting of remnants of Californian pine (radiata) – which is an imported species and significantly different in fire resistance compared to the local Canary pine – along with some monteverde and scrub undergrowth. In total, 118,000 cubic meters of wood, just over five hectares, will be auctioned with a total value of 716,204 euros.
The Island Councillor for Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security, and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, emphasises that “following the fire, all wood and excess biomass resulting from emergency and restoration measures must be cleared.” She explains, “We are removing many radiata pines, which are an introduced foreign species from the mid-20th century, and using this opportunity to reintroduce Monteverde specimens, promoting native vegetation that is also more resilient to fires.”
Timber and Biomass
The primary objective here is to eliminate the surplus wood and biomass from areas populated by radiata pine forests affected by the fire, including the pines themselves, the Monteverde undergrowth, and the scrub. This includes the biomass produced from emergency and restoration work conducted by the authorities, once it has been cut or crushed, and is measured by volume. The assortment contains remains of various monteverde species, branches, damaged radiata pine wood, and some scattered eucalyptus remnants.
The Cabildo is resorting to this process due to the risk posed by the California pine trees affected by the fire, one of the most devastating incidents in the archipelago’s history. This type of pine can grow up to 25 meters tall and weigh three tons, presenting a hazard to individuals including forestry workers and mountain users due to potential falls and fire risk.
Five Auction Lots
The successful bidder for Lots 1 and 2 will need to conduct cutting operations in areas under the jurisdiction of the La Orotava, Los Realejos, and Tacoronte mountains (Lot 1), and in La Victoria and El Sauzal for Lot 2. Lots 3 and 4 comprise residues from the emergency and restoration efforts carried out by the authorities in the mountain regions of La Orotava, Los Realejos, and Santa Úrsula (3), and in Tacoronte, La Matanza, La Victoria, and El Sauzal (4). Finally, Lot 5 consists of wood resulting from emergency works (without restoration) in the northern Tenerife mountain regions, encompassing La Orotava, Los Realejos, Tacoronte, El Sauzal, La Matanza, La Victoria, and Santa Úrsula. This lot includes wood stacked at the loading dock from previous safety tasks along the ravines executed by the Cabildo, as well as wood from post-bidding operations.
On February 15, the initial auction took place for the radiata pine trees affected by the significant fire the previous summer. Six lots totalling 10,500 cubic meters, approximately 2.8 hectares, consisting of cut and stacked wood and chipped branches, were put up for auction. All the wood was sold to four companies for a total sum of 383,000 euros.
