A clone of the secular ash tree (540 to 550 years old) Duarte d' Armas will be planted, on December 5th, at 12:00 pm, in Jardim da Alameda, in Faro.
On the tree, which has lived until today, a research project was developed in collaboration with the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, the University of Algarve (UAlg) and the Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation.
«The Duarte d'Armas ash, located in the historic area of Freixo de Espada à Cinta, was represented by Duarte d'Armas, in the Livro das Fortalezas, which the squire executed, between 1509 and 1510, at the behest of D. Manuel I» , frames the UAlg.
«The collaboration protocol between the universities allowed us to develop a set of tasks with a view to recovering and maintaining the tree, culminating in the improvement of its global condition», he explains.
In addition to “seminal propagation”, 22 clones were created to “preserve and disseminate this heritage and highlight the importance of forest resources”.
The first one was planted in the gardens of the Palácio de Belém, in Lisbon, on the 21st of March. The remaining ash trees were, for the most part, delivered to the district capitals by the municipality of Freixo de Espada à Cinta.
«This project is an example of a successful collaboration between several universities and researchers in the field of Sciences and Humanities from the North to the South of the country», says UAlg.
For example, the University of Algarve was called to intervene in the historical part of the investigation.
Alexandra Mariano, professor at the Department of Arts and Humanities at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at UAlg, was responsible for the socio-historical framing of the village of Freixo de Espada à Cinta, for the systematization of the life and work of Duarte d'Armas, for the study of the manuscript found in Torre do Tombo, and the survey of legends associated with the village and the ash tree.
«The planting of the tree in Jardim da Alameda, in Faro, gives it the relevance it deserves and, at the same time, draws attention to environmental issues and, in particular, to the pressing problems of the forest», concludes UAlg.
Comments