Santa Cruz Toughens Tree Protection with New City Law

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is getting ready to introduce tougher rules for its city trees. This comes after a new law, the Canary Islands Urban Tree Protection Law, was passed. This law, which started as a public suggestion and is now official, means that all towns must update their local rules. The City Council says that Santa Cruz will create a new local regulation. This will include penalties and specific ways to look after the city's trees.

Carlos Tarife, the Councillor for Public Services and Environment, said that work on this new rule will start in the next few months. This will happen around the same time as the new contract for Parks and Gardens is put out to tender, which should be finalized in October. The new rule, which hasn't been drafted yet, aims to protect the trees we already have. It will ban hanging things on tree trunks and branches without permission. There will also be fines for people who let their pets urinate in flowerbeds. City experts will decide how serious different rule-breaking actions are (minor, serious, or very serious). On top of this, the city's Environmental Ordinance, which hasn't been updated since 2004, will also be reviewed.

These local changes fit with the wider Canary Islands law. That law already outlines serious offences, like cutting down or removing protected trees without the required permit, unless it's for safety. The regional law states that trees cannot be cut down without a good technical reason, and pruning must follow proper guidelines. The only exceptions are if there's a safety risk, damage to buildings, public interest, or an urgent need. This law recognizes how important each tree is for the environment. These ideas will be included in the city's new rules. The goal is for tree protection to also help create "climate shelters" and shaded spots. This is a crucial part of the City Council's new plan to deal with high temperatures.

To support these efforts, the City Council will put aside 16,000 euros from its 2026 budget (which totals 2.2 million for this area) for expert help with the High Temperatures Plan. This study will figure out what actions to take to reduce the effects of heat. It will work alongside the Green Infrastructure Plan to decide where to add natural or artificial shade. Money has been set aside in different parts of the budget to create shade in public areas: 60,000 euros for awnings and trees on Calle Castillo, 15,000 euros for shaded shelters on other streets, and 25,000 euros for playgrounds like those in La Granja, García Sanabria, or Volcán de Chaorrra.

In addition, 25,000 euros will be spent on fully covering the city's flea market on Avenida Marítima with large sails. These projects will also be supported by creating new green spaces and pathways throughout the city, with 60,000 euros allocated for this.