Chiloé will have Chile's first Forest Training Center specialized in temperate forests

The Forest Institute (INFOR) is advancing in the construction of Chile's first Forest Training Center specialized in temperate forests, a project that will be located in Chiloé and aims to strengthen technical training and knowledge transfer for those who work or are linked to the forest ecosystems of southern Chile.

The main objective of the new infrastructure is to provide training to nursery workers, forest owners, professionals, students, and communities, addressing topics such as plant production, sustainable forest management, and environmental education. Additionally, it will be linked to the Puacura Experimental Forest in the Los Lagos Region.

In this regard, INFOR's Executive Director, Gabriel Valenzuela, highlighted the scope this initiative will have for territories where temperate forests predominate.

"We want to bring science and innovation closer to people, providing concrete tools for plant production, sustainable forest management, and environmental education. We are building a space that will have an impact not only in Chiloé but also in a vast area of the country where temperate forests predominate," he stated.

Three training areas

The Forest Training Center will develop three main training lines:

The first will focus on the production of native and exotic plants, considering processes ranging from seed collection and treatment to nursery cultivation, establishment, and management of forest plants.

The second will be dedicated to sustainable forest management, allowing owners and professionals to learn on-site about different silvicultural techniques, restoration models, and alternatives for managing forest ecosystems.

The third line will be oriented toward environmental education, through programs aimed at educational institutions to bring knowledge of forests closer to children and young people in Chiloé and the Los Lagos Region.

The Puacura Experimental Forest will be the outdoor classroom

One of the central aspects of the project will be its relationship with the Puacura Experimental Forest, a space that INFOR has been developing for about ten years for research, conservation, monitoring, and technology transfer.

The head of INFOR's Chiloé office, Jan Bannister, explained how this connection works: "The Puacura Experimental Forest and the Forest Training Center are complementary projects. The forest is, in practice, the classroom where much of the training will take place. There, we have real experiences in research, restoration, and monitoring that will allow participants to learn directly in the field and discover solutions applied to the challenges facing forest ecosystems," he indicated.

Projection for southern Chile

Although the center will be located in Chiloé, the expectation is that it will receive participants from different areas of southern Chile, considering the presence of temperate forests across much of the austral territory.

On this scope, Bannister noted: "Chile's temperate forests cover a large part of the southern austral region. Therefore, this center is designed to serve owners, technicians, professionals, students, and communities linked to these ecosystems, becoming a training and technology transfer platform with regional and even national reach," he added.

Source:Agricultural Report