Pine sapping - Forest Trail

The vast pine plantations serve as natural coastal protection and for timber production, as well as for harvesting pine sap.

Resin is a secretion specific to plant species, more abundant in resinous plants, expelled when they suffer damage or wounds to the trunks/branches. It is a translucent, sticky, viscous liquid, brownish-yellow in colour and with a characteristic odour, and is distinguished from sap by the latter being a relatively clear, aqueous substance with different purposes. The resin's function is to protect the tree from environmental aggressions, stimulate healing, regulate growth and repel herbivores.
Resin is a complex mixture of organic components, called terpenes, which are insoluble in water but soluble in certain organic solvents, such as hydrocarbons, ether and ethanol.
In Portugal, the main resin-producing species of commercial interest are the Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster) and the Stone Pine (Pinus pinea), with the Maritime Pine being the most prominent species. The main resin producing regions in Portugal are the Central Coast (Districts of Leiria and Coimbra) and the North and Central Interior (Districts of Viseu and Vila Real).