Ancient Forests

Chile's Patagonia region is inhospitable to many types of trees, but those that manage to survive here are known for their majestic beauty. One of them is the coigüe, a gray-barked evergreen that grows to 12 meters (40 feet), with radial branches that resemble a series of stacked horizontal planes. The slow-growing cahuén, or larch, can live as long as 4,000 years. The winter's bark (canelo) tree yields a wood used to make furniture and musical instruments. The fruit of the more familiar carob tree, of course, is a popular chocolate substitute.