Very close to where I live there is a "Parque Natural" (Like a national park) called "Montes de Málaga". Many years ago it was scarcely populated with Olive and Carob trees. In an effort to prevent flooding in the City of Málaga the hills were repopulated with Aleppo Pine trees and thus the Montes de Málaga Parque Natural was created.
I´m not sure why this particular species of pine was chosen as it is not native to Spain. Nor does it seem to be reproducing naturally in the Montes de Málaga area. At any rate it is fairly well suited to the climate and has been effective in reducing the water runoff when heavy rains fall in the hills above Málaga.
These pines do not seem to be of much value commercially as they do not grow very big or very straight. One of there chief qualities seems to be their ability to survive dry climate conditions.
The needles on this pine are about 8-10 cm long. The cones are about the same length and have the curious habit of doubling back on the branch as can be seen in the image above. Old cones stay on the tree for a long time and it is not uncommon to see older trees loaded with old cones that never fell off.
Very close to where I live there is a "Parque Natural" (Like a national park) called "Montes de Málaga". Many years ago it was scarcely populated with Olive and Carob trees. In an effort to prevent flooding in the City of Málaga the hills were repopulated with Aleppo Pine trees and thus the Montes de Málaga Parque Natural was created.
I´m not sure why this particular species of pine was chosen as it is not native to Spain. Nor does it seem to be reproducing naturally in the Montes de Málaga area. At any rate it is fairly well suited to the climate and has been effective in reducing the water runoff when heavy rains fall in the hills above Málaga.
These pines do not seem to be of much value commercially as they do not grow very big or very straight. One of there chief qualities seems to be their ability to survive dry climate conditions.
The needles on this pine are about 8-10 cm long. The cones are about the same length and have the curious habit of doubling back on the branch as can be seen in the image above. Old cones stay on the tree for a long time and it is not uncommon to see older trees loaded with old cones that never fell off.
the aleppo pine actually is native to spain and is a huge source of timber in the Mediterranean region and north afica.
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