Mighty Alerce Tree Endangered

The International Herald Tribune reports that the Alerce tree, one of Chile’s great national symbols, is in danger:

Cutting and burning in defiance of laws meant to protect the species have reduced its range and numbers by half and created a lucrative black market

I saw some Alerces on my trip to southern Chile. They are beautiful trees and like the article states, their namesake is used all over the place. The reason I stopped by the side of the road to take a picture was because I had seen streets and other places named Alerce during my time in Santiago. Let’s hope that this national treasure can be preserved for future generations.

Posted June 3rd, 2005 in In the News.

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