Corticeira Amorim volunteers plant another 2,500 cork oak trees

The initiative, organised in collaboration with Quercus, as part of the Green Cork programme, took place on November 18 at the Herdade da Baliza estate in Castelo Branco.

Corticeira Amorim’s volunteers have been helping to reforest Portugal since 2011, planting more than 27,000 autochthonous trees.

125 volunteers from Corticeira Amorim planted 2,500 cork oak trees on 18 November at the Herdade da Baliza estate, in Castelo Branco. The initiative, part of the Green Cork project - the national programme for the selective collection and recycling of cork stoppers, created in partnership with Quercus and other partners - aims to promote and educate people to recycle cork in Portugal and help fund the Common Forest project, which ensures planting of autochthonous trees in Portugal, in particular of the cork oak tree.

Cristina Rios de Amorim, director of Corticeira Amorim responsible for the company’s Sustainability strategy, views this as yet another initiative that supports a "journey spanning more than 150 years, marked by keen awareness of the social, environmental and economic importance of the cork oak forest and forests in general. We reforest with care and innovation. Through our example, we strive to spread knowledge, the use and recycling of cork - this unique raw material that underpins our economic activity. We have a clear goal - to stimulate ecological awareness and continue to leverage a low-carbon economy, by minimising environmental impacts."

Each year volunteers from Corticeira Amorim help plant cork oak trees, becoming actively involved in the viability and enhancement of cork oak forests, which are so important in order to regulate the hydrological cycle, protect against soil erosion, promote important biodiversity, reduce the risk of desertification, consolidate barriers against forest fires and maintain important natural carbon sinks - an invaluable set of ecosystem services, as well as drivers of economic, environmental and social development.

Cristina Rios de Amorim added: "It's been very positive. The first initiative was launched in 2011, the year in which the Portuguese Parliament unanimously decided to give the cork oak tree the status of Portugal's National Tree. With this initiative, we have planted more than 27,000 autochthonous trees in Portugal, helping to create more biodiverse and resilient forests."