Los Alerces National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Los Alerces) is located in the Andes mountains in Chubut Province, part of the Patagonian region of Argentina. Its western edge is along the border with Chile. Over time, glaciers have shaped the land, forming features like moraines, glacial cirques, and clear, freshwater lakes. The area has thick temperate forests that change into alpine meadows at higher elevations near the rocky peaks of the Andes. A unique and important part of the park is its alerce forest. The alerce tree is the second oldest tree species in the world, with some trees over 3,600 years old. The alerce forests in the park are well protected. The park is important for preserving some of the last remaining continuous Patagonian Forests in nearly untouched condition. It also provides a home for many plant and animal species that are found nowhere else and are at risk of disappearing.
Alerce trees
Designated a World Heritage Site in 2017, the park was created in 1937 to protect forests of alerce trees, called lahuán by the Mapuche people, and other plants found in the Patagonian Andes. The National Park has the largest alerce forest in Argentina. Alerce trees are often compared to the Sequoia trees of the United States because they grow very large. These trees are among the longest-living in the world; some in Chile are 3,600 years old. Alerce trees grow very slowly and belong to the family Cupressaceae (cypresses). The alerce is found only in a small area of Chile and Argentina, and the species is endangered because people have cut down the trees for wood.
The most famous alerce forest in the park, which is often visited by tourists, is near a boat dock called Puerto Sagrario at the northern end of Lake Menéndez. The largest known alerce tree in Argentina is located there. It is 57 metres (187 ft) tall, 2.2 metres (7.2 ft) in diameter, and 2,600 years old. Tours regularly visit the forest. Scientists believe taller and larger alerce trees may exist on the southwestern part of Lake Menéndez, but that area is not open to the public.
The untouched alerce forests in the park cover an area of 7,407 hectares (18,300 acres) on the two arms of Lake Menéndez, the upper part of Amutui Quimey Reservoir, and along the streams that flow into those lakes.
Description
Los Alerces National Park has two parts: the main national park covering 187,379 hectares (723.47 sq mi) and the nearby Los Alerces National Reserve covering 71,443 hectares (275.84 sq mi). Most of the park's development is located in the reserve. A buffer zone 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) wide surrounds three sides of the park that do not border Chile.
Los Alerces National Park is shaped like a rough rectangle, stretching about 65 kilometers (40 mi) north to south along the border with Chile and 45 kilometers (28 mi) east to west. The entire park lies within the drainage basin of the Futaleufú River, even though the river has different names in parts of Argentina. A series of lakes connected by fast-moving rivers defines the park. Lake Rivadavia is the first lake in this chain. The water from Lake Rivadavia flows into the smaller Green Lake through the Rivadavia River. From Green Lake, the water flows into the Arrayanes River, which continues to Futalaufquen Lake after receiving water from Lake Menéndez. Below Futalaufquen Lake is Kruger Lake and the Frey River, which flows into the Amutui Quimey Reservoir, an artificial lake. The river called the Futaleufú begins below the Amutui Quimey Reservoir and forms the southern boundary of the National Park. Smaller lakes and streams are scattered throughout the mountains and valleys of the park.
The highest point in Los Alerces National Park is Cordon de las Pirámides, at an elevation of 2,440 meters (8,010 ft). The lowest point is about 330 meters (1,080 ft), where the Futaleufú River crosses into Chile. The tree line is at approximately 1,400 meters (4,600 ft). Above this level, there is little vegetation, bare rock, and areas of permanent or semi-permanent snow. The Torrecillas glacier is located between the two arms of Lake Menéndez.
Climate
The lower areas of Los Alerces National Park have an Oceanic climate, called Cfb, or a humid continental climate, called Dfb, according to the Köppen climate classification system. Clouds filled with moisture from the Pacific Ocean hit the Andes mountains along the border between Chile and Argentina, causing up to 3,000 millimetres (120 inches) of rain each year. This rain falls mostly as rain at lower elevations and snow at higher elevations. To the east of the Andes, where the land is in a rain shadow, rainfall decreases quickly, reaching about 800 millimetres (31 inches) at the park’s eastern edge. Temperatures in the park vary from cold to moderate. Freezing temperatures can happen in any month. At the park’s headquarters, which is one of the lowest points in the park, the warmest month is January, with average daily high and low temperatures of 24° Celsius (75° Fahrenheit) and 8° Celsius (46° Fahrenheit). In July, the coldest month, average temperatures are 7° Celsius (45° Fahrenheit) high and -1° Celsius (30° Fahrenheit) low. As elevation increases, temperatures become cooler.
On the western side of the park, heavy rainfall supports Valdivian temperate rain forests found below the higher elevations of the Andes. Much of the rest of the park has Patagonian forests similar to those in Lanín and Nahuel Huapi National Parks, with trees like coihues and lenga. Arrayán (Luma apiculata) trees grow along the Arrayanes River.
Although there is no true dry season, the most rainfall occurs during the winter months of July and August in the Southern Hemisphere.
Development and tourism
A hydroelectric dam in Puerto Madryn was built to provide energy for industry. This dam created the large Amutui Quimey Reservoir, which flows into the Futaleufú River. The river continues into Chile.
The area has walking paths and fishing opportunities. Boat trips are available on the lakes. The Torrecillas glacier can be seen from tour boats on Lake Menéndez.