It was a pity that the forced restrictions due to the pandemic prevented a much more massive participation in Arbor Day 2021 in Yebes. Not surprisingly, more families were left on the waiting list than were able to take part in this volunteer and ecological activity. But it was a true festival of nature and the environment, in which 48 holm oaks and half a dozen almond trees were planted. As in previous editions, an old dump that is located at the entrance to the Valdenazar forest was chosen to carry out this plantation. “A degraded area that we are determined to recover so that nature can do its job and be perfectly integrated into this magnificent example of a Mediterranean forest,” says Vidal Gaitán, Councilor for the Environment. This is the seventh year in which this call has been carried out, which has the usual collaboration of the National Association ‘Mycorrhiza’, which provided all the necessary material for the event to be a success. The unbeatable weather conditions also contributed to polish a morning in which the little ones learned some basic notions about planting trees. About the importance of native species compared to invasive ones, the correct way to repopulate the forests, the choice of the most suitable location or the function of these trees, which contribute decisively to settle the land and prevent erosion.
“The presence of trees such as holm oak or almond is synonymous with ecological stability, soil fertilization, associated fauna life and high landscape value,” explains Gaitán. Hoes in hand, thirteen adults and six children busied themselves in drilling the holes in which the root balls of the larger trees were inserted, and then scattering around fifty oak seedlings in this space. “Throughout the morning, we were able to verify that many of the saplings that we had planted in previous editions had perfectly grasped the ground,” says the Councilor for the Environment. This action was complemented with the planting that days before had been carried out in the ‘Federico García Lorca’ park in Valdeluz, between the ‘Jocelyn Bell’ public school and the High Speed line. Twenty Chinese soap trees, known as the ‘lantern tree’, were planted in that tongue of land, which had been donated by the Provincial Council through the Service of Agriculture, Livestock, Environment and Rural Development. Coming from the agricultural farm that this institution has in Alovera, the work was carried out by the company in charge of the maintenance and conservation of the garden areas of the municipality. The chosen meadow has its own irrigation and just a decade ago it was completely barren. “Someone decided to abandon this park to its fate, which was left outside the maintenance area contemplated at that time,” recalls Gaitán. Today, it is one of the most frequented, showy and popular green areas for the residents of Valdeluz.
.jpg?w=900&ssl=1)
The Chinese soap holder withstands extreme temperatures, is characterized by high resistance to drought and environmental pollution and can reach up to 15 meters in height. Plaza Mayor 1 (Yebes) I José Antonio Andrés Rodríguez s / n (Valdeluz) I Phone. 949 290 100 I www.yebes.es With 338,500 square meters distributed in thirteen parks and garden areas, to which must be added the twenty-four hectares of the Valdenazar forest, Yebes has turned this natural heritage into one of its hallmarks. In the last ten years, the Department of the Environment has revitalized these urban spaces and environments with the planting of more than two thousand trees of a dozen different species. The mayor of the Environment highlights the “commitment and involvement” of residents in caring for this natural wealth and highlights the “relevance” of days like this Saturday.
“That help to instill ecological and environmental values from an early age, involve the community in the preservation of the environment and build a sustainable municipality,” he says. In recent years, the Yebes City Council has given visibility to the responsibility it has assumed with its neighbors in the conservation and protection of this legacy. On July 29, 2015, this municipality became the first in the province of Guadalajara to approve an Ordinance for the protection of trees of singular local interest. In 2017, the Yebes City Council was recognized in the first edition of the Regional Environmental Award for the project to adapt Valdenazar as a forest park. This natural area has its own Management Plan to detect strengths and weaknesses and plan activities that result in its conservation and knowledge. In addition, it has been chosen by the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Alcalá de Henares as the setting for the development of scientific projects.
– .
