A Bright Future for Ancient Oak FSC A Portuguese Story on Cork Oak and Montado FSC June 2, 2025 Category : Stories Montado is what the Portuguese call the ecosystem that hosts the cork oak forests in the south of the country. It covers more than a million hectares across the Mediterranean. The plants and animals characteristic of the Montado depend on each other and on the ecosystem. Properly managed, this delicately balanced ecosystem is good for society, involving the local community in productive activities that allow people to stay in the area where they were born. Meet the family that manages 1,690 hectares of FSC-certified forests in Portugal and learn how their long-term approach to forest stewardship helps to create year-long employment for the local community while protecting the region’s wildlife.