Maritime pine

The Pinhal de Leiria pine forest, traditionally said to have been planted by King Dinis in the 13th century, held back the dunes and supplied timber for caravels.

The maritime pine is a tall conifer with thick, deeply fissured, reddish-brown bark and long, stiff needles in pairs. It produces large, heavy cones that stay on the branches for a long time. It grows well on poor, sandy soils and stabilises coastal dunes. It provides valuable timber and resin, which was once used to make rosin and turpentine. However, it is highly flammable and often suffers in summer wildfires.

Significance in the country

The maritime pine is one of Portugal’s most important forest trees; the historic Pinhal do Rei near Leiria supplied timber for the fleets of the explorers, and the timber and resin industries sustained whole regions for centuries.

Where it grows

In the north and centre of the country, especially on the sandy coast between Porto and Lisbon (Leiria, Coimbra, Aveiro) and in the hills of Beira.

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