Forest Production

When Terraprima began managing Quinta da França, the existing forest was characterized by the presence of a developed riparian corridor, copses of Pyrenean oak and areas of boom with obvious signs of the recurrent passage of forest fires. Two small areas of pine and eucalyptus completed the characterisation of existing forest parcels.

The period of 2003-2006 was the first time forestry intervention occurred in a project funded by the AGRO programme, consisting of the removal of scrub, taking advantage of the natural regeneration of Pyrenean oak, of cleaning and pruning of the more developed oak copses and planting, in clearings, of groves of maritime pine, cedar, wild cherry, linden and birch.

The only population of seed regenerating pine was established in 1955 and was cut in 1979, the time when seed trees were left to regenerate the area. In 2007 fresh plantings of maritime pine in a project funded by Programa Ruris.

The forest at Quinta da França is essentially for conservation and is not yet being exploited commercially. The sale of environmental services has been, so far, one of the most significant sources of current income, under a pioneering agreement with EDP that ran between 2007 and 2012. This agreement established the remuneration of carbon sequestration in forest areas, and the demonstration of responsible forest management was one of the contractual obligations. With this motivation, in 2008, Terraprima joined the APFCertifica Group, in which it continues today.