Puntos de Interés
Vegetation
Pinsapar de Orcajo
The district of Campo de Daroca boasts a natural curiosity in the Sierra de Santa Cruz. It is a forest of Spanish firs (Abies pinsapo), also known as Andalusian fir, whose origin lay in a curious and audacious reforestation project undertaken in the early 20th century at the initiative of the forestry engineer García Cañada. This species is not usually found in the north of the peninsula, since its natural habitat is in the south, where it is common in the sierras of Ronda and Grazalema, and in some Moroccan mountains.
The Spanish fir resembles elegant fir trees and is easily recognisable by its leaves arranged in clusters, very similar to what you might find in a coniferous forest in Nordic countries.
Experts agree that this species has become so well integrated due to the northern orientation of the hillside where it was planted, its height, about 1,200 m, and its steep slope.
Today, this unique spot, which has been listed in the Catalogue of Singular Trees and Groves of Aragon since 2018, comprises 15 hectares of Spanish firs, with some specimens reaching a height of 15 m. It is also a hugely mycologically rich area, with species such as mushrooms, boletus, amanitas and other types of mushrooms, as well as in landscape and ornithological terms, hence it is common to see golden eagles or to hear the hooting of the tawny owl at sundown.