Los Bellotos del Melado National Reserve, Nature reserve in Linares Province, Chile.
Los Bellotos del Melado National Reserve is a protected forest area in Linares Province covering more than 700 hectares. It contains several tree species including southern beech, coigue, and laurel trees that together form a dense ecosystem.
The reserve was created in 1995 to protect one of the few remaining places where belloto trees grow naturally in Chile. This action recognized the need to safeguard such forests from disappearing.
This place serves as a learning site where people can observe how native plants interact and depend on one another. Visitors walk among tree species that have shaped the region's identity for centuries, creating a direct connection to the landscape's living character.
Access is via gravel and unpaved roads from Linares city, passing the Ancoa reservoir along the way. Wear sturdy shoes and allow extra time since the roads are not always well maintained.
The reserve is home to Beilschmiedia berteroana trees that grow naturally in only about five locations across Chile. This extreme rarity means visitors encounter a tree species that exists almost nowhere else.
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