The story told by the larches: Exhibition is open to the public in La Unión

The scents of the forest, the sound of rain and birds and a series of effects that immerse the visitor in nature are some of the factors that most surprise those who have had the opportunity to visit the exhibition “A Journey Through Time”. , since the larch has memory”, a project carried out by the Corporación Alerce and financed by the Public Science Program of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation.

Its creator is Tomás Muñoz Salazar, a natural resources conservation engineer and researcher at the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Natural Resources of the Austral University of Chile, whose interest in bringing science closer to the community led him to choose La Unión for this purpose. “Its proximity to the larches and its history made La Unión the ideal commune to install the sensory exhibition, and thus decentralize knowledge, take it out of the University and reach more people,” he said.

More than a month after its inauguration, this exhibition has received more than 3,000 visits, including children, adults and senior citizens from all over the country.

“They have taken a very good impression. Through the guestbook we have read very positive comments and thanks for these instances being generated in a place like La Unión. It is entertaining for both schoolchildren and adults”, said Tomás Muñoz.

The mixture of the elements in the sample with technology is another of its qualities. Screens and projectors allow interaction with the larch samples. It has two microscopes, where the tree rings can be observed in detail. Being able to see and touch causes amazement and that is the objective of the professional: to impress those who enter this exhibition that takes them out of the city.

“The greatest knowledge that is obtained by visiting the sample is related to dendrochronology and what the trees through their rings are capable of evidencing: climatic events, past fires, astronomical events, volcanic eruptions. We wanted to show the sensitivity of trees to changes in their environment, whether natural or human, and how this is evident in the growth of trees, generating knowledge about natural sciences and the history of southern Chile. We also wanted to highlight the historical context with old photographs”, he indicated.

The exhibition will be open throughout March and April, which is why Tomás Muñoz invites you to visit it. It is free and is open from Monday to Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can follow the news of this project on Facebook and Instagram @memoriasdelalerce