A group of families originating from Belgium has owned these woodlands since 1840.
This legendary pine forest belonged to the Community and Land of Segovia since the Reconquest. In 1675, the King ceded it to the Church, and it became the property of the Carthusian monks of El Paular, who managed it until the Church’s lands were sold in 1837. The pine forest was awarded to a speculator who promptly sold it to a group of foreign investors that were visiting Spain. These investors were initially a group of friends who organized themselves under the name of Sociedad Anónima Belga de los Pinares de El Paular.
The fact that many of the shareholders settled permanently in Spain, driven by a commitment to a long-term product (the maturation cycle of the Scots Pine for felling is 120 years), favored innovation in forestry processes and a continuously careful management of the property.
“The Belgians”, providence in the conservation of los Pinares del Paular
The acquisition of the Cabeza de Hierro woodland by the Belgians was providential to its conservation. The pine forests of Malagosto and el Reventón were also sold off. However, they were less fortunate by being acquired by some important Spanish owners from Madrid, Segovia and Torrelaguna, and trees were felled to make a quick profit.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, the management of the Sociedad Belga, headed by Mr Henri Dubois, refused to sell large quantities of wood for the reconstruction of French towns and villages which were devastated during the First World War. The refusal was clear despite receiving attractive offers. Acceptance would undoubtedly have led to the utter deforestation of the woodlands. This vision, well ahead of its time, is now regarded as a forerunner of the current sustainable forest resource management model.
“The Belgians”
, providence in the conservation of los Pinares del Paular
The acquisition of the Cabeza de Hierro woodland by the Belgians was providential to its conservation. The pine forests of Malagosto and el Reventón were also sold off. However, they were less fortunate by being acquired by some important Spanish owners from Madrid, Segovia and Torrelaguna, and trees were felled to make a quick profit.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, the management of the Sociedad Belga, headed by Mr Henri Dubois, refused to sell large quantities of wood for the reconstruction of French towns and villages which were devastated during the First World War. The refusal was clear despite receiving attractive offers. Acceptance would undoubtedly have led to the utter deforestation of the woodlands. This vision, well ahead of its time, is now regarded as a forerunner of the current sustainable forest resource management model.
Pioneers in the conservation of the black vulture colony in the Sierra de Guadarrama
In the nineteen-forties and nineteen-fifties, Franco’s regime created the Provincial Boards for the Extinction of Harmful Animals. Birds of prey, which were regarded as harmful, were hunted by vermin destroyers who were paid to exterminate them.
At the beginning of the 1940s, Mr Jean Pierre Lecocq took over the management of the company following the death of his predecessor, Mr Esteban Blanco. During his management, which lasted until 1967, he decided to adopt measures to guarantee the conservation of the black vulture colony which are now coming to fruition. He opposed the destruction of the nests in the pine forest and collaborated actively with foreign ornithologists who conducted scientific studies on this species. It would not be an exaggeration to conclude that the black vulture still continues to circle above the Sierra de Guadarrama is largely thanks to a man who was ahead of his time and who realized that these birds were part of its ecological equilibrium.
The great social and cultural legacy of the Sociedad Anónima Belga de los Pinares de El Paular
The wood from el Pinar de los Belgas has a history marked by major milestones magnificently narrated by the naturalist and writer Julio Vías.
The Rascafría sawmill is a living witness to an extraordinary industrial activity that has had a decisive social and economic influence, not only in the region of Rascafria but also throughout the city of Madrid. As of 1860, the demand for wood by the construction of new neighborhoods led Sociedad Belga to build a sawmill and warehouses in the capital city. Shortly after, a social network of professions related to wood and construction developed around it and continues to this day.
In 1925, the expansion of the facilities of the “Belgian sawmill” in calle Atocha was one of the first examples of industrial concrete building. After it ceased to operate in the 1990s, this unique building was purchased by the City Council of Madrid. To this day, the building has upheld this entrepreneurial spirit by becoming the headquarter of Medialab Prado, the well-known facility for the development of cultural projects.
The greatt social and cultural legacy of the Sociedad Anónima Belga de los Pinares de El Paular
The wood from el Pinar de los Belgas has a history marked by major milestones magnificently narrated by the naturalist and writer Julio Vías.
The Rascafría sawmill is a living witness to an extraordinary industrial activity that has had a decisive social and economic influence, not only in the region of Rascafria but also throughout the city of Madrid. As of 1860, the demand for wood by the construction of new neighborhoods led Sociedad Belga to build a sawmill and warehouses in the capital city. Shortly after, a social network of professions related to wood and construction developed around it and continues to this day.
In 1925, the expansion of the facilities of the “Belgian sawmill” in calle Atocha was one of the first examples of industrial concrete building. After it ceased to operate in the 1990s, this unique building was purchased by the City Council of Madrid. To this day, the building has upheld this entrepreneurial spirit by becoming the headquarter of Medialab Prado, the well-known facility for the development of cultural projects.
El Pinar de los Belgas today
Nowadays, el Pinar de los Belgas is a recognized example of forest management. It is also an open space of great scenic beauty. Its location within the limits of the extensively-advertised National Park of the Sierra de Guadarrama has made it an unexpected host to a large number of tourists. Most of them enjoy the environment with respect, but unfortunately, they are unaware of what they greatly admire is based on private management and thereon dependent of selling high-quality timber products, which you are invited to discover here.
The company is now facing the decisive challenge of guaranteeing the subsistence of el Pinar de los Belgas. Its exceptional location generates a normative specificity that complicates traditional logging and forest operation. The sustainability sought by the public governments is now at risk due to regulatory, environmental and tourism pressure which are compromising the principles of private management. The company has publicly announced its willingness to talk about the property’s future with the State or Autonomous Administrations. Otherwise, the offer will be open to companies and private parties interested in purchasing a property of great ecological value in an exceptional location.
