The Forest Reserve of Fontinhas is located centrally on the island of Santa Maria, Azores archipelago. It is a section of forest and human spaces within the civil parish of Santo Espírito and operated by the Regional Government of the Azores. It occupies an area of about 3 hectares, at about 250 meters above sea level.
The Reserva Florestal de Recreio de Fontinhas was created by decree on August 30, 1989 (16/89/A) by the legislature of the Regional Government of the Azores. It is administered by the Secretaria Regional de Agricultura e Pescas (Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Fishing), and run day-to-day by the Direcção Regional de Recursos Florestais (Regional Directorate of Forest Resources). The nature reserve is a unit of multi-use in the Azores archipelago combining several activities; it is oriented towards human-nature interactivity, providing spaces for human leisure (barbecues, minor recreational activities, sightseeing and pedestrian trails) near to natural flora and fauna in the area.
The Fontinhas Nature Reserve is a dense forest atmosphere populated by Cryptomeria, as well as exotic species such as Sequoia, Picconia azorica and the local Azorean Heather. There are several pedestrian walking trails throughout the park with access to several infrastructures including barbecues, playgrounds, public washrooms, animal pens and lookouts. The main feature of the park is its rich forest of tall species.