8,000 laurel trees to be planted in Gran Canaria as part of the fight against forest fires
The Cabildo of Gran Canaria will allocate more than 400,000 euros to plant 8,000 laurel trees and thermophilic forest in the eight largest farms that it owns in the northern midlands of Gran Canaria as part of the fight against forest fires and to promote biodiversity.
The farms where the trees will be planted are the Osorio farm in Teror, La Cazuela de Firgas, El Brezal de Guía, Los Chorros, Los Tilos and Peñón de Moya, and San José del Álamo and Montaña de San Gregorio in the capital, for which the Cabildo will tender a four-year contract for which 2,000 trees will be planted in each year.
The repopulation will mainly extend the laurel populations with fayas, paloblancos, laurels, aceviños and viñátigos, as well as thermophilic species such as dragon trees, wild olive trees, junipers and palm trees in San José del Álamo and Montaña de San Gregorio.
The farms are within the High-Risk Areas for Forest Fires (ZARI), therefore the contract also includes the clearing of 25 hectares of bushes and brambles every year, so that the land is clear of vegetable fuel that accumulates in this area, which is the wettest on the island.
The contract will include the environmental technical direction to establish the annual schedule of clearing, which will be carried out before summer, that is, the time of greatest risk, of repopulation, which is carried out after the summer period to take advantage of the rains, as well as the monitoring of what is planted, always in coordination with the Cabildo's Environment area.
The expense has been distributed in 50,000 euros for 2021, just over 100,000 euros for the period between 2022 to 2024, and another 50,000 euros for the first half of 2025.
This initiative is one more aspect of the Cabildo's work in favor of biodiversity that includes actions such as the Life Nieblas Project to repopulate with 20,000 laurel trees by 2024 more than 30 burned hectares with a high risk of desertification in the Barranco de la Virgen and also contribute to the regeneration of aquifers, which are needed for recovering the Jungle of Doramas, the great green and humid fire-fighting shield of Gran Canaria.
