The Cabildo de Tenerife will conduct a forest treatment to improve the masses of Canary Island pine from the repopulation of summits to be held through what is called ‘short improvement’ of those less developed and weaker trees.
The purpose of this action is to stop the weakening of pinewood and ensure their survival in the future, reports the Cabildo in a note. These pines have acquired an excessive density (currently 10,671 hectares) because, when the repopulation mid-twentieth century were made, many specimens per hectare were planted to ensure rapid ground cover, ensure the survival and prevent erosion. This criterion had to be necessarily associated with conducting periodic treatments in which cutting was part of those pine trees, as they grew, but never came to fruition.
For this reason, currently the pines of repopulation are in a state of great fragility: trees with very attached to each other, with weak growth, competing for light and water and very exposed to winds and pests.
With no space and do not get enough sunlight to the ground, nor sprout other plants at his side, neither can live many species of wildlife, so it is essential to make these clear which consist of cutting a number of feet or trees to reduce this excessive density.
The realization of these treatments allows these forests improve their environmental function, increase biodiversity and growth, while ensuring the indirect benefits they generate for society, such as protection from floods and soil loss, among others.
This situation is not unique to the Canary Islands, and solutions like this that arises in protected natural areas of Tenerife are contained within management strategies and conservation of forests and natural protected areas in Europe.
Another aspect in which the works council is to seek the setting value and benefit to society of the remains short of improvement that generates logs and vegetation.
Depending on the destination that is of this wood may contribute to reducing CO2 emissions, create green jobs stable or replace non-renewable and polluting fossil fuels.
