I was going through some more of my very early images and I noticed a few that particularly moved me. They were pictures I had taken in 1986 when I lived in Corvallis, Oregon and they were for the very first book that I did- Ancient Forests.
Looking at these pictures brought back some wonderful memories- driving all around Washington and Oregon hunting for the remaining patches of old-growth forests; even then there weren’t very many. Tromping through the remote forests, just me and my black lab Emma and seeing no one else all day long. The magnificent forests, primeval, holy, cathedrals of awe and wonder. And trying to take photos that could somehow capture all the beauty and magic.
I found some spectacular places, jaw-droopingly spectacular, and I did my best to photograph them. The images filled my book and my heart and soul- those were happy days.
The two pictures included here were taken at what was called the Millennium Grove, millennium because many of the trees were over a thousand years old and the forest was several thousand years old. Ever stand in a BC (before Christ) forest? You should, it is an experience you will never forget.
And this is a good thing because my memories and these few images are the only thing left of the Millennium Grove- it was clear cut in the late 1990s. And there was no good reason to do so by the way- cutting it down made one mill a few thousand dollars and gave jobs to a dozen loggers for a couple of weeks, jobs that could’ve been had elsewhere. It was greed and short-sightedness, in my opinion. And it was spectacularly ignorant.
I wish I could take you all there. I really do. If you want to see the Millennium Grove now you’ll have to go to Japan, that’s where all the old-growth lumber was shipped. And by the way, the Millennium Grove was in a National Forest and you and me and every other citizen of America are co-owners of every inch of every National Forest.
Would’ve been nice if someone had asked us, huh?
David,
Another example of corporate welfare and this is OK for those folks who complain about human welfare. Kentucky takes many millions of dollars to subsidize the likes of Toyota and Amazon so they will build here. I know of no independent studies that say that this charity is a long term, much less short term, benefit to the tax payers of Kentucky.All of that is money that needs to be spent on education from elementary through college to provide a base of well educated employees that will attract companies without the bribery. Communities scramble for new jobs to “benefit” the community; however, property and related taxes continue to rise to support the growth. Of course, employment is good but is only part of the story.
Best wishes,
Bob