The National Forest in Leiria (Mata Nacional de Leiria – MNL), also known as the King’s Pine Forest (Pinhal do Rei), is a coastal forest largely comprised of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster). It lies at the heart of the Portuguese forestry services and Portuguese forest ordinance and spans 800 years of history, people and natural developments, recorded in this "green cathedral" in the municipality of Marinha Grande, on the coastal dunes to the south of the River Lis.
With strong historical links dating back to the reign of King Dinis (the farmer king), the pine forest has undergone various improvements and extensions over the centuries, notably the large-scale and slow process of tree planting on the coastal dunes (in 1909), carried out by the forestry services and resulting in pines being planted right up to the sea, in a previously desert-like area with moving sand dunes. On almost sterile sandy soil, the maritime pine is the dominant species. However, the umbrella pine (Pinus pinea), a tree species native to the sandy Portuguese coast, can also be found.
Skirting the beach on the MNL shoreline, the chain of dunes that allowed the forest to be planted up to the sea was constructed using a technique known as "Ripado Móvel" (moveable paling fencing), taking advantage of the pre-existing natural conditions to form an artificial dune. This is the most impressive maritime pine forest in the country and its 70m-high dunes are the tallest on the Iberian Peninsula.
The birthplace of royal forests and an arena of Portuguese forest history, Pinhal do Rei represents "the greatest national monument, exemplifying a wealth that grows day by day in the barren sand" (António Arala Pinto, 1939), "the whispering green cathedral" (Afonso Lopes Vieira, 1917) and "the first and greatest monument in Portugal" (Bernardino Barros Fomes, 1892).
Marinha Grande is one of four municipalities covered by National Coastal Forests, and has the largest proportion (60%) of public forests managed by the ICNF (Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests), followed by the district of Figueira da Foz with 21%, Pombal with 7%, and Leiria with 5%.
The National Forests Management Strategy recognises the significance of public forests in the local development of municipalities, given the territorial space they occupy, with Pinhal do Rei, in the municipality of Marinha Grande, being a paradigmatic case.
The forest provides a fundamental strategic resource for the implementation of local development policies and diverse ecosystem services for the population.
