More than 42,000 hectares of stone pine grow across the Algarve, much of it producing few pine cones, if any. Tapping these trees for resin may give owners a fresh source of income, with the idea taking centre stage earlier this month at a workshop in Marmelete, in the municipality of Monchique. It presented new resin-tapping techniques that could both breathe life into the rural economy and reduce the risk of wildfires.
Held on 8 October and organised by ASPAFLOBAL and Resipinus as part of the RN21 project, the event drew 16 participants, including business owners, forest owners, and technicians from the public and private sectors.
The aim was to show the economic potential of resin tapping. Organisers also wanted to discuss extraction methods that improve quality, make more of forest resources, and encourage more active management of pine stands
The resin is a highly versatile natural material valued for its distinct chemical properties, and traditional utility. When distilled, it yields two core industrial components: turpentine, a powerful organic solvent used in paints and cleaning agents, and rosin, a brittle solid essential for improving friction on violin bows, sports equipment, and dance floors. In its raw and processed forms, this sticky substance functions as an exceptional waterproof sealant and heavy-duty adhesive. Furthermore, because it is rich in flammable terpenes, stone pine resin serves as an invaluable, moisture-resistant fire starter, while its natural antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties have made it a staple in traditional creams used in healing minor wounds.
According to ASPAFLOBAL, Portugal currently imports almost 90% of the resin its domestic industry needs. That is despite the fact that Portuguese and European resin has qualities that justify placing a higher value on it.
The association points to the shortcomings of traditional extraction methods. These can lead to the loss of highly valuable compounds and let impurities such as pine needles, bark, and insects into the resin collected. In some cases, they can also damage the woody part of the trees.
New methods presented at the workshop could help overcome some of these problems and make better use of the raw material.
Resin tapping is traditionally associated with the maritime pine, but it could also offer an opportunity for the vast stretches of stone pine across the region. ASPAFLOBAL says ‘studies point to the potential to add value to stone pine resin, thanks to the presence of distinctive chemical compounds’.
That is of particular interest in the Algarve, home to more than 42,000 hectares of the species, much of it planted in the 1990s. Many of these areas, the association says, yield ‘little or no pine cone (and therefore pine nut) production’, which limits what owners can earn from their land.
Resin could therefore be an alternative or a complement, provided the necessary technical and legal conditions are met. ASPAFLOBAL cautions that ‘in properly managed stands, and once this technique has been duly regulated, resin extraction could be a supplementary source of income for forest owners’.
Wildfire prevention is another benefit that was cited. Giving pinewoods greater economic value could encourage owners to keep their land tidy, manage combustible vegetation, and put more custodians on the ground in forested areas.
ASPAFLOBAL and Resipinus claim the goal is to ‘boost economic returns, energising the rural economy at local and regional level’, while encouraging active forest management. They believe this could ‘help reduce the danger of rural fires, both through managing combustible vegetation and through a greater human presence in the territory’.
The results presented in Marmelete are preliminary, and how much money resin could bring stone pine owners has yet to be quantified. ASPAFLOBAL and Resipinus hope to publish firmer figures soon, and to stage similar events elsewhere on a larger scale.
Source: Sul Informação
Photo credit: Fernanda Dorado
