Fires again - to prevent fires

The scene in Valle Gran Rey a few days ago.

Many locals and visitors got a bit of a shock recently when whole valleys on La Gomera were suddenly smoke-filled again and many fires were seen burning. This spectacle was seen several times in different valleys across the island and especially children and old people were alarmed by the smell of smoke which reminded them of the horrific fires in the summer of 2012 that led to the evacuation of thousands last year. 

Well, the fires were due to the clean-up in these valleys where palms and other trees were freed from dead branches and the ground was cleaned and weeds and other flammable materials were gathered. While some of the organic material is being shredded to be used for composting, the amounts were so large that a lot of it was burned in situ between the rains. Local pressure group La Gomera Se Mueve have called this action a waste of valuable fertiliser and an unnecessary psychological stress for a population that has barely recovered from last year's ordeal.

 
 

1200 Palm trees affected by fire cleaned

One of the specialised teams of 'palm doctors'       (Photo: gomeraverde.es)

More than 1200 Canary Islands date palm (Phoenix Canariensis) trees which were damaged by last year's devastating fire on La Gomera have been cleaned-up in Valle Gran Rey by local specialists in recent weeks and work is continuing. The Canarian palm can survive fires and often grows even stronger after having been blackened by fire. The work carried out involves climbing up the sooty trunks to the sad-looking crown and the removing the dead fronds with saws and special knives. This is very tough work indeed and it is dangerous not only because of the height to climb but also because of the hard needle-sharp pointed spikes of the fronds' ends. If you're ever passing low-hanging fronds of Canary palms, make sure to avoid them as they can give you very deep and nasty wounds or could easily pierce an eye. The clean-up is part of  fire prevention measures that include the removal of thousands of tons of dead and partially-burnt vegetation as well as other material that could catch fire very easily from all over the island of La Gomera.

La Gomera is home to more than 100.000 Phoenix Canariensis trees,
forming the largest population of the palms in the Canarian archipelago

The following quote is from the Journal of the International Palm Society (Palms):

''The most interesting island of all for palms is La Gomera: thousands of P canariensis live in the most diverse landscapes, from desert to waterfalls, showing every possible aspect that this mighty palm can assume. La palmera is extremely respected by the islanders, los gomeros, because it is still a source of guarapo, palm honey. This tasty product is regularly hand-extracted from incisions made in the apical bud without killing the palm and then sold in the island's markets.(Note: Guarapo is not palm honey but the sweet sap that rises up the trunk at night. This is  boiled down to a syrup which is then called palm honey or miel de palma in Spanish - Willie) One of the most beautiful palmerales of all the seven islands is found in the majestic scenery of Valle Gran Rey: a canyon with 700-m high vertical dry cliffs of volcanic lava, which hang above the very humid terraced floor, intensively cultivated with bananas (Musa 'Dwarf Cavendish'), Arundo donax, and P canariensis. The valley is entirely free of P dactylifera. The only exotic palms are a few washingtonias and Roystonea sp. The entire island is a biosphere reserve and Valle Gran Rey is its pearl...''

 A copse of Phoenix Canariensis. Another beautiful photo by © Alexius Jorgensen

Rally to mark first anniversary of outbreak of fires

La Gomera August 4th 2012 at 7:20pm - one of the fires 

Many questions remain unanswered
Sunday, 4th of August 2013, marks the first anniversary of the outbreak of the devastating fires that continued to burn for several weeks last summer (see this page for the full story). Several pressure groups and organisations are calling a mass meeting in the centre of capital San Sebastian de La Gomera in the park around the medieval tower (Parque de la Torre del Conde) this Sunday, 4th of August, at 11am under the motto '1 year without justice'. The rally was called to remind the authorities that the fires were never properly investigated with many questions remaining unanswered and that much of the promised aid never reached the victims. During the solemn gathering several speakers will address the protesters and in an 'open mike' session all are welcome to voice their concerns. A petition with 3500 signatures will be presented and a charred tree trunk will be deposited at the entrance of La Gomera's government buildings just across the road. 

La Gomera August 4th 2012 at 8pm - one of several fires started in the afternoon is approaching the national park

 Bad news travel fast: TV crew broadcasting live against a backdrop of
smoke and fire while being videoed. Saturday, Aug. 1st, 2012, 8pm

Permanent helicopter base needed on La Gomera

With the dry season beginning now and last year's disastrous fires still fresh in our memories the need for a helicopter to be permanently stationed on La Gomera is obvious. The island's government has called once again for the granting of same, as new figures released show that over the past 30 years nearly 1000 fires were fought on La Gomera of which just ONE was due to natural causes, the remainder was caused by humans acting irresponsibly or by arsonists. Given the orographical conditions on La Gomera which leave many areas very difficult to access, a permanent helicopter is essential not only for the rapid intervention in case of fire but also as an air ambulance. La Gomera is the only Canary Island that does not have a helicopter based on the island, and precious time is lost when aircraft have to be sent from neighbouring islands. La Gomera is home to one of the most unique and precious forests in the world which deserves all the protection it could get. During the period from 1995 to 2000 a helicopter was based on La Gomera and as result the extent of fires was greatly reduced.
Meanwhile local pressure group 'La Gomera Se Mueve' ('L.G. on the move') are criticising the local governments' measures to restore the areas affected by last year's fires as haphazard and insufficient and are asking if the officials that allowed the fires to get out of control by their lack of action or their incompetence should now be left in charge of the remedial works ?

A helicopter permanently based on La Gomera is needed now.

Verdant Valle Gran Rey

Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera, March 2013: You'd never think this was a blazing inferno last August.

More fruit trees for fire victims

La Gomera's government will distribute more than 2.300 fruit trees for immediate planting to farmers and residents who lost crops and trees during the devastating fire last summer. The trees will be distributed in the town of Chipude from 11am today, and will cosist of 15 varieties, including apple, almond, cherry, plum, peach, etc..
In several separate distributions in Valle Gran Rey nearly 1500 tropical fruit trees have already been distributed and planted.
More fruit trees will be given away in several locations soon and the total number re-planted will reach well over 5.000 .
UPDATE 8pm: Further goods news today is the ministry for environment's allocation of nearly 580.000 Euros for the repair of damage in La Gomera's forest 

Hens For Fire Victims

After the recent distribution of fruit trees by the self-help group 'Plataforma Valle Gran Rey', today they will have 100 hens to give away to those who lost livestock during the fire last August.
Meanwhile the solidarity calendars are still on sale and for each calendar sold one fruit tree will be bought and planted. See:Solidarity Calendar Published

Opposition Calls Meeting

The deputies of the opposition in the island's parliament have called for an extraordinary general meeting to be held after the recent resignation of La Gomera's vice-president (see:LA GOMERA NEWS: VICE-PRESIDENT RESIGNS).  They want the island's president, Casimiro Curbelo, to explain the circumstances of the resignation of Gregorio Medina and the resulting cabinet  reshuffle. They are also seeking more information about aid for the victims of the recent fires on La Gomera.