With about 27 hectares, this protected area represents a small patch of natural vegetation, at the centre of Terceira island.

It is a relic of the early natural forest of average latitude, consisting of Azorean Laurel (Laurus azorica), Juniper (Juniperus brevifolia) and Tree Heath (Erica azorica), forming a compact woodland of high biological richness of endemic fauna and flora of the Azores.