Library Forest
Restoring a South American temperate rainforest.
0
Trees
0
Square Meters
0
Native Species
Library Forest sits within the grounds of a public library, located in a deprived area of the Chilean city of Frutillar. The building of the forest is a critical part of the community engagement programme, helping adults and children reap the wellbeing benefits a forest can offer, as well as providing lessons in biodiversity and the native rainforest ecosystems. The site includes a 300-year-old ‘Mother Tree’ - a Chilean laurel (Laurelia sempervirens) - that is at the heart of this new forest.
Forest Maker
Bosko Chile
Forest Partner
“We are a public library with a strong commitment to social, educational and cultural development. We can only set an excellent example by implementing strategies to take care of our own green areas. One can hardly promote care for the environment if one's own work space is not cared for.”
Sonia Núñez, Head of Public Library of Frutillar
Forest Design
Forest Report: 2024
0 Months
Forest Age
0%
Survival Rate
0m
Average of Tallest 3 Trees
The visit occurred after a summer rainfall, so the forest was hydrated and happy. Francoa appendiculata, Desfontania spinosa , Lobelia tupa, Escallonia rubra and Satureja multiflora were in late bloom. Fuchsia magellanica and Fuchsia magellanica alba were in full bloom and being visited by different bee species.
Grasshoppers were bountiful and as we explored the soil under the oat straw mulch we found worms, spiders and other insects. Birds flew by, a few perching on the taller trees and observing the new visitors.
Our overall impression is that of a healthy young forest and a budding relationship between its guardian, the Frutillar Library. Over time they have begun to visit the forest on a daily basis, feeling more comfortable with its maintenance and understanding the importance of supplementing with irrigation during summer. They have also begun to add forest visits to their regular programming, crossing indoor to outdoor educational activities.
Planting: April 2023
“Frutillar is a small centre of culture and nature in the middle of the temperate forest of southern Chile. This library represents the same spirit: to be a space of culture and nature, at the service of the community.”
Team Bosko, SUGi Forest Maker
Rewilding Frutillar
Frutillar is located in the south of Chile where temperate rainforest ecosystems - also known as Valdivian temperate rainforest - are found. These native rainforests have been in large part cleared in the locality. Currently, where green space exists, it is often agricultural and degraded land. As such, this project is ecologically significant for it will see the complex environment revived and set an example for the restoration of other rainforest ecosystems across South America.
