The Regional Director for Forest Resources called for joint efforts to face the multiple challenges in terms of forest management and preservation on Macaronesian islands.
 
"The challenges in forestry are immense. If we join forces, we will be stronger and better able to defend the sustainability of our natural areas and our forest areas. They preserve endemic species of considerable environmental value, such as the Laurel forest," said Anabela Isidoro, who spoke at the opening session of the 8th Forestry Symposium of Macaronesia.
 
The event brings together representatives from the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. It aims to promote the exchange of knowledge and experience on what is being carried out in terms of forestry matters in the Macaronesian archipelagos.
 
In her speech, Anabela Isidoro emphasised that discussing natural forest resources should naturally involve conservation. Nevertheless, she considered that it is imperative to go further and think about strategies that allow the enhancement of this natural heritage at various levels.
 
"The local forestry sector is of considerable economic importance and has enormous potential for expansion. Therefore, it is vital to establish lasting commitments between the exploration and preservation of resources, ensuring an adequate territorial planning," said the government official.
 
In the case of the Azores, the Regional Director added that the forestry sector generates an annual turnover of around 1.8 million Euros in the direct sale of woody material and 10.9 million Euros in primary timber processing.
 
Simultaneously, the guidelines set forth in the Azores Forestry Strategy are being implemented. They focus on the increase of cryptomeria wood trade, through exports, in the public and private sectors as well as on the investment in certification.
 
The municipality of Nordeste is where the archipelago's largest forest patches managed by the Regional Government are located. It has been a "macro laboratory" for sustainable forest management and was the first public area in the country to obtain management certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) system.
 
Anabela Isidoro pointed out that between 2012 and 2015, for example, more than three million trees were planted in the Azores, including cryptomeria, resinous wood species, hardwood species as well as ornamental and endemic species. In this context, the government official also added that forests occupy about a thirds of the archipelago's territory.
 
In the last 20 years, about 10% of the private forest area of the Azores has been subject to interventions to improve existing forest stands, namely through reconversion, reforestation and afforestation actions. These actions reflect the Region's concern to enhance woody materials. without excluding environmental benefits and the favourable contributions to these ecosystems.
 
According to Anabela Isidoro, the endemic species planted in the Region and even exported outside the archipelago are produced in the 18 plant nurseries spread across the archipelago, which occupy an area of about 27 hectares.