Introduction
The pine groves of the mountains, like the one you are currently passing through, are the result of relatively recent human activity, based around plantations, and are almost the only wooded spaces in the mountains. This pine grove for example is the result of planting of Aleppo pines (Pinus halepensis) and stone pines (Pinus pinea) to fix the advance of the dunes, as these species are perfectly suited to the Mediterranean climate and capable of taking root in extremely poor and dry soils. At the same time, as a result of the large and extensive roots they develop, they retain the subsoil very effectively, which is the desired result of planting them.
In these pine forests, squirrels live in comfort. If you are quiet and stay still for a little while, they are easy to spot, happily climbing and descending the trunks of the pine trees. One obvious sign of their presence is the remains of gnawed pine cones that can be seen in great numbers spread over the floor of the pine forest.