Yesterday my two companions and I went for a big walk through the São Jacinto dune reserve. With us we carried two big bags full with balotas (acorns), which we seeded at the moister and shaded areas in the woods of the reserve. 2015 is the fourth year in which acorns are seeded there by us. This activity is undertaken to increase diversity of the woods, to reduce the chance of forest fires and to help fight invasive acacia species (see some earlier posts about this subject). Thankfully, now the wardens of the reserve also see the point of this and already seeded a large amount of acorns there earlier this fall. Very nice!
Over time this little oak will outgrow the acacia and attract a lot more wildlife.
Not all of the young oaks survive. Again, this summer a number of them died due to the scorching temperatures and draught that occur on the peninsula during summer. Most of the oaks that grow there now are English oaks (Quercus robur). Cork oaks (Q. suber) have also been seeded during the past four years, but this species appears to have more difficulties surviving its first years. I suspect that over time the oaks themselves will create better growing conditions for both types by changing the soil structure and chemistry, and by preserving moist.
At least three of the oldest English oaks in the reserve that have been planted there in the past, produced acorns this year (one more than last year). Although there were not many yet, the acorns that have been seeded thus far will certainly speed up the process. We’ll have to be patient, but in some decades from now the São Jacinto dune reserve can host the largest mixed forest of the Aveiro region, which once was dominated by oak (instead of monotomous Eucalyptus plantations…)!
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