Bosque fósil de Punta Pelluco, Natural Reserve and fossil forest in Puerto Montt, Chile.

The Bosque fósil de Punta Pelluco consists of 111 alerce stumps of various diameters, preserved naturally in a 100 by 400 meter protected area about five kilometers east of Puerto Montt, beside the road linking Pelluco, Pelluhuin and Coihuín. The stumps lie scattered about 50 meters out on the beach and are visible only at low tide.

The stumps were first described in 1976, after the 1960 Chile earthquake ruptured the ground and exposed them on the beach. Early 1980s radiocarbon dating gave ages of 42,600 to 45,600 years BP; dating in the early 2000s placed them at 49,370 to 49,780 years BP. The site was declared a Santuario de la Naturaleza by Supreme Decree No. 48 of 17 January 1978.

The preserved tree stumps show how the local environment changed over long periods and serve as an important study site for researchers interested in regional history.

The tree stumps are best seen at low tide when the water recedes and exposes the ground. You can explore this site by walking along the coastal paths that pass through the area.

This is the only known fossil forest of this tree species in Chile and was naturally preserved under volcanic sediments. The stumps offer rare insights into the forest landscapes that covered this coast tens of thousands of years ago.