As from today, cork oak forest owners in Portugal can benefit from technical advisory services to assist them in identifying and adopting good management practices in cork oak forests and associated biodiversity. This advisory service is entirely funded by Corticeira Amorim and is being delivered through a partnership with the ICNF (Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forest) and NGOs, namely Quercus and the WWF.
Launched in 2008, this service was so far carried out three times and included about 18,000 hectares of cork oak forest. An assessment of the phytosanitary status of cork oaks will be carried out this year for the first time.
WWF's expert professionals will prepare a report on plant health diagnostics after visiting the selected cork oak forests. This report can be even used by cork oak forest owners to assist them in applying for sustainable forest management certification for their lands.
This technical advisory program can be requested by owners of cork forests covering an area of not less than 50 ha or that are included in a Forest Intervention Area (ZIF) and whose forest management system is not yet certified.
42 technical visits were made between 2008 and 2013. It should be pointed out that the vast majority of forest owners who benefited from technical advisory services opted for obtaining FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) certification for their forest products.
The service may be requested by interested forest owners by e-mailing an application form - available on www.sustainability.amorim.com - to natural.choice@corticeira.amorim.com.
