Valsain Valley (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Valle de Valsaín'') is a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

of the northern slope of the

Guadarrama mountain range The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is in Spain, between the systems Sierra de ...

(

Sistema central The Central System, Spanish language, Spanish and , is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula. The 2,592 m high Pico Almanzor is its highest summit. The Central System is located just north of the 40th parallel north, ...

mountain range). It is located in the southeastern part of the

province of Segovia Segovia () is a province of central/northern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the province of Burgos in the north, Soria in the northeast, Guadalajara in the east, Madrid in the south, ...

(

Castilla y León Castile, Castille or Castilla may refer to: Places Spain * Castile (historical region), a vaguely defined historical region of Spain covering most of Castile and León, all of the Community of Madrid and most of Castilla–La Mancha * Kingdom o ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

), within the municipality of

Real Sitio de San Ildefonso San Ildefonso (), La Granja (), or La Granja de San Ildefonso, is a town and municipality in the Segovia (province), Province of Segovia, in the Castile and León autonomous region of central Spain. It is located in the foothills of the Sierra ...

, and borders the

Community of Madrid The Community of Madrid (; ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities and 50 provinces of Spain, provinces of Spain. It is located at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula and Meseta Central, Central Plateau (); its capital and largest munici ...

. The valley is covered by an extensive pine forest known as el Pinar, the largest in the mountains and one of the best preserved in

Geography

Oriented from south to north, it has an average width of 6 km and an approximate length of 9 km, which makes it one of the largest valleys of the

Sierra de Guadarrama The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is in Spain, between the systems Sierra de ...

, along with the Lozoya Valley. It is almost entirely covered by a forest of

pinus sylvestris ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US), Baltic pine, or European red pine is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native plant, native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly s ...

(Scots pine), the most extensive of the Sierra de Guadarrama and one of the most important of it. Below 1200 meters of altitude, there are also specimens of

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

and

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

. Above 2000 meters, the pine forest gives way to alpine meadows and rocky areas. The lower part of the valley has an altitude ranging from 1100 to 1500 meters. At the bottom of the valley, the

Eresma River The Eresma is a river in central Spain. It flows through Castile and León (specifically the provinces of Segovia and Valladolid). It has a total length of 134 km and drains a basin with an area of 2,940 km2. Name The name of the riv ...

runs in its highest stretch of its course. There are numerous natural pools and swimming pools along its course through the valley. Near these pools there are recreational areas with picnic areas and parking, such as "Los Asientos" and "Boca del Asno". These areas are accessed by the regional road CL-601, which connects

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is located in the Meseta central, Inner Pl ...

with

Collado Villalba Collado Villalba () is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, in central Spain. It is located 40.3 kilometres north-west of the city of Madrid, at an altitude of 917 meters above sea level. It has a population of 64,263 (2022), with a popula ...

. At the northern end of the valley, and in the lowest area, is the town of

Valsain Valsaín is a hamlet of Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, which is a town and municipality located within the Province of Segovia in Castile and León. It is located in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, from Segovia, and north of ...

, belonging to the municipality of

, which takes its name from the valley. At the eastern end is the Peñalara massif (2430 meters), in the south is the Puerto de Cotos pass, the Bola del Mundo peak, the Navacerrada Pass and the

Siete Picos The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is in Spain, between the systems Sierra de ...

. In the west is the mountain range of La Mujer Muerta.

El Pinar

"El Pinar" (or Valsain pine forest) is one of the best preserved mature

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

forests in Spain. The explanation for this excellent state of conservation lies in its origin as a hunting reserve of the

Spanish monarchy The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish monarchy is constitu ...

and the subsequent sustainable use by the

timber industry Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

History

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

(1716–1788) bought a large extension of this mountain range comprising the Valsain Mountains, Riofrío and la mata del Pirón for his

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

hunting practices. Logging in the forests of Valsain follows a sustainable dynamic to this day. The form of exploitation of the forests is that promoted by Agustín Pascual González (1818–1884), inspector of the Royal Forests pioneer of forest engineering in Spain, precursor of the rational management of natural resources. The timber exploitation is linked to the

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

, the Real Aserrío de Valsaín, which began its activity under the patronage of the Royalty in the year 1884. The cutting age of

Scots pine ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US), Baltic pine, or European red pine is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-gr ...

is about 120 years. The traditional way of exploiting these forests is to thin the pine forests. In the clearings opened by the cutting of the adult pines, the light index rises, which facilitates the germination of the pine nuts and, thus, a new generation of pines. Over time, the mass of adult trees is replaced by new young pines, completely regenerating the pine forest. At the beginning, the mass of young pines is very dense and decreases by natural process and by human intervention—through performing different cleanings and cuts until reaching the convenient density for an optimal development of the tree. All the obtained wood must pass quality controls, to be later commercialized with the exclusive seal of "Maderas de Valsaín" ("Valsain Wood"). The Real Aserrío de Valsaín has recently been declared an

Bien de Interés Cultural (, , , ) is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Colombia and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense). It includes not only mater ...

(BIC) in the category of "Monument".

Flora

The complete catalog of the vascular flora of Valsain pine forest amounts to 867 taxa (species and subspecies). 69

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

must be added to this number—in most cases linked to urban environments. In these mountains, there is a wide diversity of natural habitats, ranging from the oak groves at the bottom of the valley to the grasslands on the summits, passing through the pine forests that occupy most of the territory, the rocky outcrops, the peat bogs, the banks of rivers and streams, the holly oak groves, etc. This diversity allows the coexistence in the same valley of high mountain plant species and species typical of the Mediterranean scrubland; the fauna also takes advantage of the different environments according to the seasons.

is the most widespread plant formation in the valley. It occupies from 1200 meters to 2000 meters above forest level. At altitudes below 1400 meters it occasionally presents an undergrowth of pyrenean oak. The Scots pine can reach average heights of 25 meters and in good locations exceeds 30 meters in height, occasionally reaching over 40 meters. In sunny areas the heights, crown volumes and slenderness are lower than in shady areas. The accompanying undergrowth is mainly composed of ''

Genista florida ''Genista florida'', the floriferous greenweed, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Fabaceae. Description Very branched shrub that can reach up to 3 m. The stems have 8 to 10 slightly hairy T-shaped ribs. Leaves alternate e ...

'' (white broom), ''

Juniperus communis ''Juniperus communis'', the common juniper, is a species of small tree or shrub in the cypress family Cupressaceae. An evergreen conifer, it has the largest geographical range of any woody plant, with a circumpolar distribution throughout the coo ...

'' (common juniper), ''

Cytisus oromediterraneus ''Cytisus oromediterraneus'', the Pyrenean broom, is a shrub species that belongs to the family Fabaceae. Description It is composed of dense, tightly packed branches. Forms extensive shrublands, alone or coexisting with other shrubs, such a ...

'' (pyrenean broom), and ''Rubus sp''. (brambles), in the open clearings in the middle of the pine forest. In the upper parts the undergrowth, there is ''jabino'', ''piorno'', ''cambrón'' or ''cambroño'' (''

Adenocarpus hispanicus ''Adenocarpus hispanicus'' is a species of flowering plant in the Faboideae subfamily that is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula in Spain and Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Sou ...

'') and blueberry (''

Vaccinium myrtillus ''Vaccinium myrtillus'' or European blueberry is a Holarctic realm, holarctic species of shrub with edible fruit of blue color, known by the common names bilberry, blaeberry, wimberry, and whortleberry. It is more precisely called common bilberr ...

''), while in the lower parts there are

honeysuckle Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or Vine#Twining vines, twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae. The genus includes 158 species native to northern latitudes in North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. Widely kno ...

s (''Lonicera peryclimenum'', ''L. xylosteum''), rowan trees (''

Sorbus aucuparia ''Sorbus aucuparia'', commonly called rowan (, also ) and mountain-ash, is a species of deciduous tree or shrub in the rose family. The tree has a slender trunk with smooth bark, a loose and roundish crown, and its leaves are pinnate in pairs o ...

''), hawthorns (''

Crataegus monogyna ''Crataegus monogyna'', known as common hawthorn, whitethorn, one-seed hawthorn, or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It grows to about tall, producing plant sexuality, hermaphrodite flowers i ...

''), blackthorns (''

Prunus spinosa ''Prunus spinosa'', called blackthorn or sloe, is an Old World species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is locally naturalized in parts of the New World. The fruits are used to make sloe gin in Britain and patxaran in B ...

''), cherry trees (''

Prunus avium ''Prunus avium'', commonly called wild cherry, sweet cherry or gean is a species of Prunus subg. Cerasus, cherry, a flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is native to Eurasia and naturalized elsewhere. It is an ancestor of ''Prunus c ...

'') and holly trees (''

Ilex aquifolium ''Ilex aquifolium'', the holly, common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest As ...

'').{{Cite web , title=Montes y Aserradero de Valsaín: flora y vegetación , url=https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/parques-nacionales-oapn/centros-fincas/valsain/flora.aspx , access-date=2022-11-16 , website=www.miteco.gob.es , language=es

Protection

Valsain pine forest contain the largest number of protection figures that a natural area in Spain can contemplate, since 3,326 hectares of them belong to the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, the remaining 7,011 hectares belong to a figure of their own called Área de Especial Protección del Parque Nacional ( English: Special Protection Area of the National Park), created ''ad hoc'' to be able to make commercial forest management compatible. These are

Special Protection Area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...

(SPA) and

Site of Community Importance A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at ...

(SCI) due to the natural values it treasures. They are also a Critical Area of the

Imperial Eagle The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Heraldic eagles can be found throughout world history like in the Achaemenid Empire or in the present Republic of Indonesia. The European post-classical symbolism of ...

(Sg-3) due to the three pairs of this bird of prey that breed there, hold the Sitio Natural de Interés Nacional del Pinar de la Acebeda ( English: Natural Site of National Interest of El Pinar de la Acebeda), and are within the recently declared

Nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

El Espinar El Espinar is a Spanish population centre and a municipality located 65 kilometres away northwest from Madrid city centre, in the northern slope of the Sistema Central mountain range. It belongs to the province of Segovia and to the autonomous Co ...

. El Pinar is currently in good health, having obtained two environmental certifications: FSC in February 2005 and PEFC in November 2004.

Gallery

File:Valle de Valsaín.jpg, Valsaín Valley File:Siete Picos y Montón de Trigo.JPG, Valsaín Valley with the

peak in the upper left and

Montón de Trigo Montón de Trigo is one of the most important and highest mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama (mountain range belonging to the Sistema Central) and of the mountainous branch of La Mujer Muerta, located between the valleys of the Valle del río ...

peak in the center File:Peñalara y valle de Valsaín.JPG, Valsaín Valley with Peñalara behind File:La Gallarza views.jpg, Peñalara and the north face of Cuerda Larga seen from the viewpoint of La Gallarza

References

Valleys of Spain San Ildefonso (Segovia) Forests of Spain