Enthusiasts identify the sounds of forests around the world

Relax while listening to the recording of the rain stream in the heart of a tropical forest. Wait for summer while savoring the song of a stream. Let yourself be lulled by the song of birds from here and elsewhere. Let yourself be surprised by the howls of the lemurs of Madagascar or the croaking of frogs ... Discover and share the wonders of nature by mobilizing only your ear and your imagination. This is what the Sounds of the Forest project offers, a vast inventory of the sounds of the world's forests.

LForest lovers will be delighted by this new initiative born in the imagination of the organizers of the Timber Festival. The collaborative project Sounds of the Forest emerged during confinement linked to the Covid 19 pandemic. It identifies sounds of the world's forests and then provides an interactive map. It is then gradually enriched by the contributions of all nature music lovers, who in turn share the sounds captured during their walks and hikes.

“We collect the sounds of woods and forests from all over the world. Then we create a collaborative sound map that brings together tones and sound textures from the world's forests. The sounds then form an open source library. It can be used by everyone for listening and even for creation. "

Sounds of the world's forests: multiple goals

Beyond discovery and wonder, the card is a great opportunity to archive sounds of threatened ecosystems by climate change and human activities. For example, a track has been recorded at Santa Cruz in California before the terrible, devastating fires of the summer. On the contrary, another recording highlights the efforts to preserve the forest in Cape Kimberly in Australia. The ambition of the creators of the project is that the sounds made available then become muses for the artists. They can therefore seize it for create original works in homage to nature. The artists Erland Cooper, Hinako Omori and Jason Singh will present their works created under this inspiration, during the Timber Festival 2021.

“We are delighted that such innovative artists are taking our sound postcards from forests around the world. They create new music inspired by nature. "

The Timber Festival

The Timber Festival is a three-day celebration that takes place each year in the heart of the national forest northeast of Birmingham in England. The Timber Festival “celebrates our connection to trees and woods through music, art and ideas, taking inspiration from the transformed landscape of the Midlands National Forest”. Every year, nature lovers, dreamers, thinkers and artists meet in the forest for a few days of sharing, concerts and workshops.

Share the sounds of your forest

France is a land of forests. Not less than 17 million hectares of forest constitute the green lung of our country. Since May 2020, more than 550 volunteers from 50 countries have already contributed to the project by sending audio postcards of less than a minute. Join them, so that as many people as possible experience beauty sounds of your forest.