João Ponte dedicates day to the Azores forest to highlight its multiple potentialities
On March 20, the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry will participate in a series of initiatives dedicated to the Azores forest that will be held in all the municipalities of São Miguel with the aim of highlighting the multiple potentialities and richness of this immense natural heritage.
"The forest is a structural element of the Azorean landscape, occupying about a third of the territory, which must be cared and managed with full responsibility. However, we must also harness its full potential for wealth generation and economic development," said João Ponte.
Under the celebrations of the International Day of Forests, the government official visits the Forest Dissemination Centre in the municipality of Nordeste. Last year, this space received 1,250 visitors, who had the opportunity to learn more about the history of the Azorean forest from the time of Discoveries to the present day.
João Ponte will then visit the Furnas Forest Nursery in the municipality of Povoação, which produces 150 thousand plants every year for the afforestation of wood production areas on the island of São Miguel.
In the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo, the Regional Secretary will plant trees at Cerrado dos Bezerros Recreational Forest Reserve, where an average of 100 thousand cryptomeria trees are grown to be planted in public and privately-owned forests of the Region.
According to estimates, there are nearly 10 million cryptomeria trees in the Azores, the main regional forest species.
Also on this day, João Ponte will deliver a lecture to 11th and 12th form students enrolled in the Environmental Management Course at Lagoa Secondary School in order to disseminate the efforts undertaken by the Region in terms of responsible forest preservation and management. Additionally, he will also highlight the growth, the importance of exports and the uses of certified cryptomeria wood.
The programme for this day also includes a visit to the sawmill owned by the company Marques in the municipality of Ribeira Grande. The Regional Secretary will also sign a protocol with the Azores Section of the Portuguese League Against Cancer with a view to transferring a space within the Pinhal da Paz Forest Reserve in the municipality of Ponta Delgada for the creation and operation of an Integrated Ecotherapy Centre.
On March 21, the date marking the International Day of Forests, the Regional Directorate for Forest Resources organises various initiatives throughout the archipelago to disseminate and raise awareness for the multiple uses of forests in the Azores, which will involve hundreds students of various ages.