The importance of forests

Forests play a major role in soil conservation, climate regulation, and the hydrological cycle. They are an essential support for biodiversity, a CO2 absorber, and the origin of raw materials that are fundamental to our daily lives..

In Portugal, much of the natural forest has disappeared or has been greatly disturbed. Some of our native trees are already rare. Fires, the effects of climate change, and the adoption of multicultural models based on the simplification of forest ecosystems, reducing them to groups of trees of the same species, all aligned, many of them of fast-growing exotic species, have all contributed to this problem.

Our approach

CTT and Quercus are trying to have the most impact possible with this initiative. For this purpose, we chose to create and care for native species forests, original trees and bushes of the Portuguese flora, mostly in protected areas or in areas recently affected by fires. Considering the features of these areas, we selected some 30 species that can be used in the creation of native forests.

Learn, below, which species we have planted in our reforestation actions and how these trees are bred.

Native Forests (Planted Species)
  • Acer pseudoplatanus (Plátano-bastardo)
  • Alnus glutinosa (Amieiro)
  • Arbutus unedo (Medronheiro)
  • Betula celtiberica (Bidoeiro)
  • Castanea sativa (Castanheiro)
  • Crataegus monogyna (Pilriteiro)
  • Frangula alnus (Sanguinho-de-água)
  • Fraxinus angustifolia (Freixo)
  • Ilex aquifolium (Azevinho)
  • Laurus nobilis (Loureiro)
  • Myrtus communis (Murta)
  • Phillyrea angustifolia (Lentisco)
  • Phillyrea latifolia (Aderno)
  • Prunus avium (Cerejeira-brava)
  • Prunus lusitanica ssp. lusitanica (Azereiro)
  • Prunus spinosa (Abrunheiro-bravo)
  • Quercus faginea (carvalho-português).
  • Quercus pyrenaica (Carvalho-negral)
  • Quercus robur (Carvalho-alvarinho)
  • Quercus rotundifolia (Azinheira)
  • Quercus suber (Sobreiro)
  • Rhamnus alaternus (Aderno-bastardo)
  • Salix atrocinerea (Borrazeira-preta)
  • Salix salviifolia (Borrazeira-branca)
  • Sambucus nigra (Sabugueiro)
  • Sorbus aucuparia (Tramazeira)
  • Sorbus latifolia (Mostajeiro)
  • Taxus baccata (Teixo)
  • Viburnum tinus (Folhado)
  • Pinus pinaster (Pinheiro-bravo)
  • Pinus pinea (Pinheiro-manso)
Seed nurseries

We will use preferably the forest nurseries managed by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, I. P. (ICNF).

According to the legislation in force (Decree-Law 205/2003 of September 12), the plants of certain species (for example, holm oak, cork oak, European oak, plane tree, alder, birch, chestnut, ash, cherry, stone pine and Scots pine) are reproduced by germinating seeds certified by ICNF and collected under the "Creating Forests" project.