would you like to take a walk around the most impressive forests of the world? Our planet is full of magical groves that in addition to being home to a multitude of animal and plant species, are a fundamental piece in the fight against climate change and contribute significantly to the benefit of the present and future generations.
On the occasion of International Day of Forests, celebrated every March 21, Google Earth has made a selection of some of the strangest and most magical groves in the world, that have been captivating their visitors for millennia.
Its objective? remember us how valuable and necessary forests are for our lives and make us aware that, despite the ecological, economic and social benefits they generate, “Deforestation continues at a brutal and unprecedented rate which makes many of them lose their magnitude as well as all the benefits they bring to the planet”.
Puzzlewood (Coleford, UK).
HELLO SPRING!
In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21 as International Day of Forests , with 2013 being the first year to officially celebrate it.
This date was chosen, among other reasons, because spring begins with the vernal equinox (which corresponds to March 20/21 in the Northern Hemisphere and September 22/23 in the southern hemisphere.
The theme for 2022 of the International Day of Forests is: “ Forests: sustainable consumption and production ”, a call to choose sustainable wood for people and the planet.
Beech forests of Santa Fe, in the Montseny of Barcelona.
THE 8 MOST IMPRESSIVE FORESTS IN THE WORLD
Google Earth invites us to enjoy a tour of the forests most impressive in the world, where Mother Nature displays all her power, will you join us on this walk through these eight enchanted places?
1. CROOKED FOREST (POLAND)
The crooked forest is in the Nowe Czarnowo Wildlife Refuge (Poland), near Dolna Odra station. this forest, planted around 1930 –when its location was still within the German province of Pomerania–, is inhabited by 400 leaning pines and there is various theories about its formation.
The most accepted explanation is that it was used some kind of tool or technique to get trees to grow or bend like this, but the exact method remains a mystery till the date.
It has also been speculated that the trees they could have been warped to create curved wood, destined to manufacture furniture or boats. Others believe that the pines could have been bent by a snowstorm.
Crooked Forest (Nowe Czarnowo, Poland).
2. REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK AND STATE PARKS (UNITED STATES)
Redwood is a complex of 133,000 acres (about 540 square kilometers) located along the north coast of California and composed of a national park (which gives its name to the place) and several state parks (North Shore State Park, Jedediah Smith State Park, and Prairie Creek State Park).
The four parks contain more than 45% of all the forests of redwood (sequoia sempervirens) of the planet. Is about one of the tallest and largest trees in the world, which lives for thousands of years.
Very close to the parks, in the Sequoia Park Zoo (Eureka), you can stroll through the Redwood Sky Walk , a set of bridges and walkways built 30 meters high, that allow you to immerse yourself in the nature surroundings and enjoy a route through the redwoods
Jedediah Smith State Park (Redwood National Park, California).
3. KINGLEY VALE NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE (UK)
Located north of Chichester, in West Sussex (England), Kingley Vale houses one of the forests of millennial yew trees most impressive in Europe –some are up to 2,000 years old–, whose survival is noteworthy, since most of the ancient yews of the Old Continent were felled after the 14th century, as it was the preferred material for the staves of English longbows.
In ancient times, these evergreen trees were a symbol of immortality and its wood was highly valued by druids and witches to make their magic wands.
Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve (Chichester, England).
4. LIVING ROOTS BRIDGE (INDIA)
The living root bridges, such as Nogriat (India) are formed when placed fig trees on both sides of a natural depression (a river or a gorge) and their aerial roots get closer and braid until they create a sturdy footbridge in the form of a bridge.
These bridges, which have been known since the 19th century, can be seen and crossed in the mountain forests of Cherrapunji, in the southern part of the state of Meghalaya, in northeastern India.
They are made following the traditional technique of the Khasi and Jaintia peoples, They inhabit the mountainous terrain of the southern part of the Shillong Plateau.
We also find live root bridges in the Indian state of Nagaland and in some areas of Indonesia What jembatan akar (on the island of Sumatra) and in Banten province (Island of Java).
Living root bridge near Nongriat (Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya, India).
5. TSINGY DE BEMARAHA NATIONAL PARK (MADAGASCAR)
The Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, is also known as "the forest of knives" , is located in the central west of Madagascar , on the Bemaraha Plateau , and belongs to the Madagascar National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In Malagasy , the language of the indigenous inhabitants of Madagascar, tsingy means "where you can't walk barefoot" , and for example, this forest of tsingys, some karst plateaus where groundwater has undermined elevated uplands, creating caverns and fissures in the limestone.
The weather conditions of the place make the erosion is present both vertically and horizontally, forming a stony sea of limestone pinnacles.
this forest, not suitable for those who suffer from vertigo, it was a very dangerous place for hikers until they were built suspension bridges and footbridges. Even with everything, the landscape continues to impose and challenge the most adventurous explorers to discover its amazing biodiversity.
Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park (Madagascar).
6. PUZZLEWOOD (UK)
The ancient forest of Puzzlewood It is located near Coleford (England) and is considered a place of tourist interest since fans of The Lord of the rings from all over the world.
The reason? They say that, to create the famous Middle Earth, J. R. R. Tolkien was inspired by Puzzlewood and its ghostly paths, full of mossy trees and natural bridges.
The area hosts strange rock formations, secret caves and a veritable maze of trails that make up one of the most mysterious walks.
Furthermore, Puzzlewood was one of the locations where Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens Directed by J.J. Abrams.
Scenes from the television series Doctor Who, Merlin and Atlantis and other movies such as Jack the Giant Killer Y Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
Puzzlewood (Coleford, Gloucestershire, UK).
7. FONTAINEBLEAU FOREST (FRANCE)
The forest of fontainebleau is located about 60 kilometers south of Paris, between Brie and Gâtinais and its captivating beauty has been reflected in numerous impressionist paintings of the 1830s, since the place was frequented by painters of the stature of Claude Monet and Henri Matisse.
Photographers, filmmakers, writers and poets have also been irremediably attracted by this magical mosaic of oak, Scots pine, beech and heather.
The area has a dozen hiking trails where to discover, in addition to these majestic trees, more than a thousand species of plants, lichens, mosses, fungi as well as mammals and birds.
Forest of Fontainebleau (Seine-et-marne, France).
8. ZHANGJIAJIE NATIONAL PARK (CHINA)
The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park It is located in the province of Hunan (China) and is part of the scenic area of Wulingyuan (UNESCO World Heritage in 1992).
Famous for its incredible landscapes and its sandstone mountains –formed more than 300 million years ago– , Zhangjiajie was the first national forest park in China (1982), also recognized as UNESCO geopark in 2004.
Its huge rocks served as inspiration for the director james cameron to create the Hallelujah mountains from the movie Avatar. In fact, in January 2010, the South Column, one of the park's column-shaped mountains, 1,080 meters high, was officially renamed the Hallelujah Mountain from Avatar.
The park has a glass bridge 430 meters long and the glass walkway Coiling Dragon, surrounding the cliff of Mount Tianmen.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (China).