CMPC opens its properties to residents of La Araucanía for recreation and sports
The initiative of the forestry company will launch the creation of a park network in southern Chile that will take place in Temuco, Loncoche and Angol. Pumalal Park will be the first one to be inaugurated, hopefully sometime this year.
The hiking and mountain bike (MTB) trails, outdoor educational areas, walkways, rest zones, a recreational plaza and lookout points are some of the elements that will be part of the “Bosque Vivo” or “Living Forest” network initiative. Part of this CMPC-promoted project will include the forest opening up its surrounding properties to nearby cities in order to create spaces where communities can interact with the forests.
Initially, the network will be composed of three parks located in the Araucanía Region. Pumalal Park will be the first to open in Temuco, which is expected to be available to the public in mid-October this year. The other two will be located in Angol and Loncoche and will open their doors in early 2023. All the parks in this network will be connected to each other and offer the community the same types of spaces for education, tourism, gatherings, sports and recreation.
CMPC Deputy Manager of Corporate Affairs Ignacio Lira said, “The main objective is to open some CMPC properties for the use and enjoyment of the community, especially in regards to sports and contact with nature. The initiative came about because these spaces with large areas of native forest under conservation were visited for years by neighbors and athletes looking for a place to enjoy nature and outdoor recreational activities. Therefore, at CMPC we decided to go ahead and formalize, thus enhance, the use of the forests by creating a network of parks where communities can enjoy open places and engage in a range of outdoor activities.”
The parks’ facilities and trails are aimed at all levels of user and will be designed and implemented by Outlife, a company specialized in developing and managing outdoor spaces. They will also be in charge of the operation and administration of the “Bosque Vivo” parks, where the company will offer initiatives related to sports, environmental education, the family and healthy living.
The project also seeks to bring the forestry world closer to the community, generating spaces of coexistence where one can appreciate how native forests interact with productive plantations. That is why part of the parks program will be “The School of the Forest”, which will invite local public and private schools to get to know the parks, so that children can learn about nature, forests and the environment while in direct contact with nature itself.
