The groups Los Arboles Hablan, the El Perenquén neighbourhood association and the Rambla de Pulido association, located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, have expressed their displeasure to Canarias Ahora regarding the recent tree felling that took place this morning in the Orche area of the municipality. They view this action as unwarranted and further evidence of misguided local policies concerning the area’s considerable green spaces. While the government maintains that such felling and pruning activities are determined by experts for the health of the trees and the safety of residents and visitors, these organisations disagree, asserting that the removal of five tulip trees from the Orche locale was carried out “indiscriminately” following the recent incident of a large branch falling in the La Salud neighbourhood.
As they did on July 26 during a protest outside the town hall, these organisations condemn the cutting down of trees that they deem unjustifiable, previously raising concerns about the potential loss of these tulip trees.
Therefore, as Carmen De la Rosa has highlighted to Canarias Ahora, they formally requested the preservation of these trees located within the construction zone. “However, the city council disregarded all our appeals, and today, they have felled these five tulip trees. They claim they will transplant another, but we are left in the dark about when or where, or if it will survive — it is pointless to transplant it if it’s not cared for subsequently.”
According to the critics, this pattern reflects a broader policy by the current administration, “which has now destroyed five significant trees, aged between 25 and 30 years, that provided oxygen and shade, reducing temperatures, which is vital for the capital, aside from filtering air pollution. We cannot continue to allow the loss of large, irreplaceable trees. The statement by the councillor (Carlos Tarife, PP), suggesting that they cut down a certain number and planted an equivalent, is invalid. That does not hold, as trees, particularly mature ones, cannot be substituted.” They believe that the recent branch falls are a consequence of inadequate maintenance, which the authorities then use to rationalise these actions.
The Santa Cruz city council justifies the felling of the tulip trees on accessibility grounds and promises that new species will be planted once the area has been inaugurated at the completion of the ongoing works. Furthermore, they assert that the branch fell as a result of a truck impact rather than any deterioration.
