Forest · Alustante
Prostrate juniper woodlands of Alustante-Tordesilos
The prostrate juniper woodlands of Alustante-Tordesilos are a Natura 2000 site of roughly 7,376 hectares on the high plains of Adobes, Alustante, Orea, and Tordesilos. Together with the neighbouring Alto Tajo, they preserve the best stands in Castilla-La Mancha of prostrate juniper (Juniperus sabina), growing as ground-hugging mats under Scots pine.
Lands and landscapes
From here, follow the memory of the territory
These readings connect Prostrate juniper woodlands of Alustante-Tordesilos with the history, work, and villages around it.
- Municipality
- Alustante
- Province
- Guadalajara
- Prostrate juniper
- About 7,376 ha
- Natura 2000
- High plateaus
A forest that creeps
On the high plateaus in the southeastern Señorío, between Adobes, Alustante, Orea, and Tordesilos, grows a shrub that barely rises a hand’s width off the ground: the prostrate savin juniper (Juniperus sabina). It forms dense carpets beneath Scots pine and among wild thyme and mountain grasses.
A rare habitat
This plant community demands very specific cold soils and mountain climate, making it very rare in Castilla-La Mancha. Alongside the Alto Tajo, this area preserves the largest and healthiest representations in the region, mixed with heaths, alpine limestone grasslands, and open juniper stands. They are relict plant communities, survivors of colder Ice Age climates.
Protection
The site covers about 7,376 hectares and is designated a Site of Community Importance (SCI) within Natura 2000, inside the Geopark. Very close by are the ancient Orea volcano and the Tordesilos lagoon.
Location
● Reference point · ● Villages · ● Places
Location diagram. Detailed map with tracks and names loads on zoom.
Approximate position: village centre.
Reference villages: Alustante · Motos · Adobes · Alcoroches.
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