Carvalhais and Soutos Forest Area

The forest is characterized by its high floristic diversity, representing one of the best-preserved forest resources in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park. The arboreal layer is dominated by deciduous hardwoods such as chestnut and black oak, which are associated with wild cherry and holly. These trees create conditions that favor the growth of an understory where numerous species of shrubs and herbaceous plants are well-adapted to shade. Thus, in the shrub stratum, species such as rosehips, heather and honeysuckle occur. The herbaceous stratum, however little developed, includes a list of species of high conservation interest, such as the rose-bark and the lilium-martagon. This vegetal community constitutes a representative spot of the original vegetation of the interior of the Center of Portugal, currently dominated mainly by maritime pine and broom forests. On the eastern slope of the Famalicão river valley, in an eastern foothill of Serra da Estrela, a mixed deciduous forest develops with an area of about 100 hectares. This forest is installed on a steep slope, with a north-northwest exposure, being crossed by several water lines, most of which are temporary. Until a recent past, the area was the target of profound use by mountain populations, and this intervention is still very visible in the stone walls and in the existing vegetation inside.