CMPC inaugurates Bosque Vivo, a project that brings forests to the community

The first park in the network was just opened in the Araucanía. It’s aim is to turn these properties into a setting for sports and community life in which productive spaces, research, restoration and conservation areas all coexist.

The new CMPC Pumalal Park is situated just 25 minutes from downtown Temuco in southern Chile. This space is open to the community so everyone can enjoy the forests for sports, recreation and education. The inauguration kicked off with a festival of more than 300 attendees, the first event of the Bosque Vivo [Living Forest] project.

This first park in the project network aims to demonstrate that the different services offered by forests and plantations can coexist. These include carbon sequestration, and opportunities for tourism, sports, recreation and cultural experiences. CMPC Pumalal Park visitors can access areas set aside for the restoration and conservation of native forest and the flora and fauna that inhabit it. One can also see how the this space coexists alongside sections of certified forest under management for the purposes of making sustainable products from cellulose and wood.

This initiative is supported by Outlife, a company specialized in developing and administering outdoor spaces. CMPC Pumalal Park has mountain bike paths, hiking and running trails, recreational zones with pump tracks and playgrounds, walkways to enjoy contact with nature, as well as rest areas and natural viewing points.

At the inauguration, CMPC CEO Francisco Ruiz-Tagle said, “Through the Bosque Vivo initiative, we are setting up the necessary infrastructure so that the experience of enjoying our forests becomes increasingly comprehensive, inclusive and responsible.” He added, “Through this collaborative initiative open to everyone, we are not only expanding access to places that are highly attractive, but this is also the best way for all of us to value and care for these forests, be they native or planted, since they serve all of us and add to everyone’s quality of life.”

Outlife founding partner Diego Pereira said, “By developing parks, we are also promoting the local economic ecosystem. Creating a new tourist destination breathes new life into the surrounding area. Community residents can offer their services to visitors, including lodging, food, bicycle repairs, clothing sales, and more.”

Governor of the Araucanía Region Luciano Rivas said that this initiative aims to promote “The enjoyment of sports, trekking, mountain biking, and contact with nature. But what we also have here is an educational space where our children in the Araucanía Region can come visit. This is not only for Temuco, but for the Araucanía Region as a whole. They’ll have the chance to learn about everything that has to do with native forest conservation as well as an essential productive process for our country, namely the forestry process.”

The inauguration of CMPC Pumalal Park offered sports activities for the whole family, live music with the Temuquense Revival band, food trucks, local enterprises, and many other surprises for attendees.

Forest School
“The School of the Forest” program will be implemented on the grounds with the aim of reinforcing the concepts of forest ecosystem services. The CMPC Foundation will be in charge of the program, which will focus on working with public and private schools, using the Bosque Vivo parks as an open-air classroom.

The company has also stated that in the next few months it will set up, expand and fortify the infrastructure of the CMPC Junquillar parks, in the Angol district and CMPC Loncoche.
The CMPC Pumalal Park thus joins the Alessandri de Coronel Park, about to celebrate 30 years of existence, and the Alessandri de Nacimiento Park, which has just completed its second year of operations, setting the highest record for number of visitors.

More information about the Bosque Vivo project, CMPC Pumalal Park and future projects is available at www.bosquevivocmpc.com.