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In this itinerary, you can observe how the vegetation changes from sunny areas to shaded areas. Have you ever thought about what would happen if this forest didn’t exist? In Andorra, practically half of the territory's surface is made up of forests. Forests that provide us with wood and fruits, that are the home of animals and plants, but also protect us from landslides and avalanches. The function of protective forests to prevent the movement of the snowpack and the triggering of avalanches is conditioned by the characteristics of their forest mass: their structure, density, and the species that comprise them. Forests are in constant transformation: the tree you see today may have fallen tomorrow. New trees are born every day, but they are also cut down and die. The protective function of forests varies, evolves, and may disappear over time. Have you ever wondered what would happen if instead of the forests you see on this route, the surface was smooth? In La Massana, we have different extensions of protective forests, mainly consisting of black pine in subalpine stages and red pine in the montane stage. Inside the forests, less snow accumulates, the action of solar radiation is also lower, and the roughness of the ground created by living and dead trees promotes the fixation of the snowpack. At the same time, this type of forest allows the conservation of unique wildlife species. Complete the Cube to Cube challenge in La Massana with the information you will find in the cubes along the path.
