Native Oak Nursery & Community Seed Bank

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At the heart of our Penamacor Hub is a nursery and seed bank dedicated to Portugal’s native oaks—Holm, Pyrenean, and Portuguese varieties that form the backbone of the region’s fire-resilient mosaic landscapes.

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Local residents and volunteers collect acorns from healthy parent trees each autumn. These are cleaned, catalogued, and stored in climate-controlled conditions to preserve genetic diversity. Selected seeds are germinated in our off-grid greenhouse, where we raise thousands of young saplings each year without chemical inputs.

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The nursery is more than a production site: it is a community classroom. Workshops teach seed selection, soil care, and traditional propagation methods, ensuring that knowledge passes between generations. Once ready, the saplings are planted across our 450-hectare restoration area and shared with neighbouring smallholders to reconnect fragmented woodlands.

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By safeguarding seed stock and training local guardians, the Penamacor Hub builds a living reservoir of native oak genetics, securing resilient forests for future climates while strengthening community stewardship of the Serra da Malcata landscape.