On November 13th, the Finca Casablanca Open Day program began with a visit from the College of Hervás. As a first activity, students were advised of the importance of Montado/Dehesa as a unique forest ecosystem and its enormous potential for the production of various products, having participated in a product tasting: honeycombs, acorns, figs, almonds, among others.

     

Later, the students had the opportunity to know two valuable products produced in this pilot area: organic compost and biochar, followed by a conversation about soils and microorganisms. Finally, the young participants had the opportunity to contribute to the future of Montado/Dehesa and planted four species of trees that are part of this ecosystem: cork oak, strawberry tree, hawthorn and pear tree. Each group of students planted a tree that was identified with their name so that they could follow up on future visits.

     

The activities for the adults took place in the afternoon. The first part, in class, was dedicated to Holistic Management: introduction and design notions of a grazing plan, a presentation by the technician responsible for its design at Finca Casablanca. After that, a visit to the pilot area was made, where it was possible to observe some of the adaptation strategies implemented, such as improvement of pastures, keyline water collection, densification of cork oaks and ash trees, as well as the planting of aromatic and medicinal plants (rosemary, thyme and others).