Portugal’s tourism authority for central Portugal promotes the historic Leiria Pine Forest, known also as the King’s Pine Forest (Pinhal do Rei), which was planted in the C13th on the orders of King D. Afonso III to ensure a steady and sustainable supply of wood to build the caravels and other ships that led the Discoveries.
The forest was extended on the order of King D. Dinis I, and for centuries, in an early example of sustainability, for every tree cut, one was planted.
“When visiting the pine forest of Leiria you can also immerse yourself in past history by visiting some ovens that treated the wood used in the caravels or to enjoy natural trails through the huge forest trees. Among the fauna and flora, you can see species as diverse as dandelions, arbutus and one of the largest stretches of wild pines in the country.
“A walk in this pinewood is synonymous with a trip through beautiful landscapes, marked by many dune formations, by observations of species such as rabbits, foxes, blackbirds or badgers and by the beauty of the vast expanse of pine and eucalyptus trees present there,” runs the luxuriant commentary on the tourist board's website.
Alas, dear reader, 80% of this forest is no longer, burnt in last weekend’s fires with the blame laid at the feet of the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forestry (ICNF) by local author and businessman, Gabriel Roldão.
Roldão, who published ‘Elucidário do Pinhal do Rei’ and who for years has been warning of a possible catastrophe, accuses the State of a lack of cleaning and maintenance of the national forest, which, in his opinion, caused the devastating spread of the fire that began on Sunday, October 15.
The income from Pinhal de Leiria goes straight to the State which then is meant to care for and maintain the forest. This has not been the case for for 14 years, since the last great fire in 2003, and is a bone of contention with the local council which could use the income to clear the forest floor and create sufficient fire breaks.
According to the author, the authorities have not created any fire protection measures in Pinhal do Rei and "there is no surveillance because they dismantled the forest guards set-up, which was necessary to safeguard the 11,000 hectares that occupy two thirds of the municipality of Marinha Grande.”
The author points to the failures of the Ministry of Agriculture and its failure to invest in the upkeep of the forest and sees the irony in the fact that the government now needs to spend no money on maintenance as 80% of the forest, some 9,000 hectares, has been destroyed.
The pine forest, he concluded, "was completely abandoned, with the State failing to clean and replant this pinewood."
Visiting a part of the forest that was not burnt, the weeds and scrub, in some places reaching 2 metres in height act as fuel in any fire, a point which Roldão made last August in a report he sent to the government-controlled Lusa news agency.
"With the people in the ICNF and with the narrow-mindedness of the Minister of Agriculture, this Pine Forest will be abandoned, weed over, and burn again and again," he adds.
For Gabriel Roldão, "respect for the history of the country has been lost" and Portugal, which "is a country historically respected all over the world, does not respect itself.”
In fact, "It's us who do not respect ourselves," he concludes.
