Icod Increases Dragon Tree Funding from 2025

Icod de los Vinos is stepping up its efforts to protect its famous Dragon Tree. This tree, a Dracaena Draco, was made a National Monument in 1917 and is a symbol of Tenerife. The local council announced that from 2025, much more money will be put towards looking after it. This funding is part of a plan by Icodtesa, the company that manages the tree and its area. This new decision shows a fresh approach to ensuring this ancient tree, over 800 years old, continues to thrive.

While the Dragon Tree is stable today, it hasn't always been. In 1924, the land around it was used as a rubbish dump. Later decades saw vandalism, including a fire inside its trunk in 1983. This fire was a turning point. The mayor at the time, Carmelo Méndez Quintero, asked Dr. Juan Alberto Rodríguez, a biologist, to assess the tree. Dr. Rodríguez's worrying report about the tree's poor health led to American scientist Kenneth Allen being brought in.

Allen's advice was crucial. He suggested moving the nearby road, improving the surrounding soil, fixing the tree's internal dampness (which caused rot and came from watering nearby gardens, as dragon trees naturally rely on rainwater), and looking into an internal support system. With support from Jerónimo Saavedra, who was then president of the Canary Islands, the road was rerouted. This led to the creation of the Dragon Tree Park, a three-hectare area. Today, the park recreates a natural environment for the tree and allows visitors to explore local plant life, with trails, plant information signs, and historical features like Molino alley and Caforiño ravine.

Gerardo Rizo, who is the Councillor for Tourism and head of Icodtesa, stresses how important the political decisions made in the 1980s and the park's creation were for the Dragon Tree's recovery. Today, an agricultural engineer named Juan Manuel Luis Zamora leads the daily conservation team, with advice from a technical committee. Zamora is a well-known expert on dragon trees – he was recently asked for advice by Los Realejos City Council after one of their trees fell in San Francisco. He confirms that the Icod de los Vinos Dragon Tree is in a stable condition overall, which is good for its old age.

The yearly maintenance plan involves monthly technical checks, pest and disease treatments when needed, and work to maintain the tree's crown. It also includes regular checks of its hollows and control of internal dampness. Protecting its root system is also key, done by managing visitors and looking after the soil around it. The extra money will allow for new, specialized tree care methods for large, old trees, studies using drones, and the recent installation of sensors to measure wind strength. A study on the tree's structural strength will also be done soon. All these efforts aim to create a management system that ensures this natural treasure survives for many generations to come.