Sonae Arauco is concluding the third phase of its Forestry Research and Development project, launched in 2020 with the aim of helping forest producers in Portugal to significantly increase their production and contribute to reversing the decline in pine forest areas in Portugal.

The “Gene Radiata” project has identified a group of 10 radiata pine families best suited to specific Portuguese conditions, after testing, between 2020 and 2026, a total of 244 maritime pine and radiata pine families in 12 trials with different soil and climate conditions, selected in collaboration with the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF). These 10 selected families enable, within the national context, an average growth gain of 26%, and also perform particularly well in terms of survival rates.

Nuno Calado, Wood Regulation & Sustainability Manager at Sonae Arauco, states: “The scope and depth of this study demonstrate Sonae Arauco’s commitment to the preservation and development of forests and the national economy. “Through this selection, we have identified the first batch of radiata pine families with the greatest productive potential and adaptability to the soil and climate conditions of our country.” He adds: “All this knowledge will now be shared with forestry producers in Portugal and, in the medium term, we intend to promote the large-scale propagation of the selected plants, making a decisive contribution to increasing the profitability of the pine value chain.”

Better genetic performance and adaptation to different soils

The 10 selected families represent the best balance between survival and growth across the various trials, consistently ranking among the top 10 in genetic performance in terms of height.

At the same time, these families demonstrate consistently strong performance across the various trial sites.

In practical terms, this selection allows us to recommend genetic material with more predictable performance under different conditions, helping to reduce the risk of establishment and enhance the productivity of plantations.

Countering the decline in pine forest areas in Portugal

Between 1995 and 2015, 27% of the planted area was lost, equivalent to more than 13,000 football pitches per year. Over the last decade, the devastating impact on maritime pine areas of the major fires of 2017 and 2025 stands out, with a total of 300,000 hectares lost between 2015 and 2025. The vulnerability of the maritime pine forest has also been exposed by recent extreme weather events, such as Storm Kristin, a recent extreme weather event in Portugal, which caused significant damage to pine stands. Beyond the immediate losses, these events underscore the urgency of solutions that strengthen the sustainability of the national forest.

200,000 seeds and 42,000 trees

Launched in 2020, the project involved 200,000 maritime pine and radiata pine seeds and the evaluation of 244 families/provenances targeted for genetic improvement, sourced from Portugal, Spain, France and Chile, to test and compare the behaviour of the plants under different soil and climate conditions in Portugal.

In the first phase, 100,000 seeds were grown in a nursery under identical conditions. Subsequently, 21,600 pine trees were planted in the North and Centre regions, in coastal and inland areas, on soils consisting of sand, schist and granite.

In the summer of 2021, the entire process was repeated, with the aim of mitigating the impact of weather conditions on the results obtained in the first year, involving a new phase of sowing and planting trees in the trial areas, totalling 42,000 trees across 12 sites, covering an area of 35 hectares, spread across several municipalities (Pombal, Figueira da Foz, Lousã, Mangualde, Oliveira de Frades, Arouca, Ribeira de Pena, Cabeceiras de Basto and Vila Nova de Cerveira). Since then, all the trees have been monitored for key development indicators.