Tenerife Council Auctions Fire-Damaged Timber to Fund Forest Recovery Efforts
The Tenerife Island Council has announced a public auction for forest materials salvaged from 2023 wildfire sites and is seeking to recruit eight forestry engineers to bolster its ecosystem recovery efforts.
Following the devastating wildfires of 2023, the Tenerife Island Council (Cabildo de Tenerife) is moving forward with plans to manage the island’s forest recovery through economic utilization and administrative restructuring.
The Council has announced a public auction for twelve lots of forest materials salvaged from the areas affected by last year’s fire, which scorched nearly 15,000 hectares across twelve municipalities. The auction will take place on Friday the 17th at 11:00 a.m. at the Santiago Martín Pavilion in La Laguna.
The lots include radiata pine, Canary Island pine, wood chips, and biomass sourced from municipalities including El Rosario, El Sauzal, Tacoronte, Santa Úrsula, La Orotava, Los Realejos, La Victoria, and La Matanza. Prices vary by material: large-caliber radiata pine blocks are valued at 12,800 euros per lot, while 5,000 cubic meters of wood chips are priced at 12,000 euros, and 2,000 cubic meters of biomass are set at 2,400 euros.
This initiative is led by Blanca Pérez, head of the Natural Environment department. Alongside the auction, the Council is providing wood chips free of charge to local farmers and ranchers to help them with crop mulching and livestock maintenance. While some previous auctions have gone without bids, others—such as those for pine needles in Arico and Icod de los Vinos—have been successfully awarded.
In addition to managing these resources, the Cabildo is working to strengthen its technical team. The Council is seeking to fill eight forestry engineer positions within the Department of Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security, and Emergencies. These roles are essential for the Forestry Planning and Forestry Management services, which currently have several vacancies for heads of service and unit managers.
Filling these positions is considered vital for the department’s stability. These engineers will be responsible for technical supervision, administrative coordination, and implementing best practices as the island continues the complex task of recovering its ecosystems following the 2023 disaster.