Eric Cousineau's Photoblog
Entering Old Growth Country
Posted by Eric Cousineau (Sherwood Park, Canada) on 26 October 2010 in Landscape & Rural and Portfolio.
In 1850, old-growth redwood forest covered more than 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km2) of the California coast. The northern portion of that area, originally inhabited by Native Americans, attracted many lumbermen and others turned gold miners when a minor gold rush brought them to the region. Failing in efforts to strike it rich in gold, these men turned toward harvesting the giant trees for booming development in San Francisco and other places on the West Coast. After many decades of unobstructed clear-cut logging, serious efforts toward conservation began.
By the 1920s the work of the Save-the-Redwoods League, founded in 1918 to preserve remaining old-growth redwoods, resulted in the establishment of Prairie Creek, Del Norte Coast, and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Parks among others. Redwood National Park was created in 1968, by which time nearly 90% of the original redwood trees had been logged. The National Park Service (NPS) and the California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR) administratively combined Redwood National Park with the three abutting Redwood State Parks in 1994 for the purpose of cooperative forest management and stabilization of forests and watersheds as a single unit.
Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.
Benjamin Franklin
@Calusarus: Thank you very much Fred! ;-)
@Wild Mustang Photography: Thank you very much Pam! You are most welcome to stay for the ride...... ;-)
@Yvon: Thank you Yvon! ;-)
@Hediyeh: Thank you very much Hediyeh! ;-)
@Mhelene: Thank you very much Mhelene! Ye, these are very large trees...... ;-)
@Marie LC: Thank you very much Marie! ;-)
@Sarito: Thank you very much Sarito! Hope you enjoy the trip..... ;-)
@Phil: Thank you very much Phil! Yes, these giants shut out the sunlight from the forest floor..... ;-)
@mo.langel: Merci beaucoup Mo! ;-)
@Sam: Thank you very much Sam! I hope you will stay and enjoy the trip...... ;-)
@Larry Elkins: THank you very much Larry! ;-)
@P J W Miller: Thank you very much Peter! Yes, they are very interesting indeed...... ;-)
@El pare: Thank you very much Manel! I hope you enjoy the rest of the trip...... ;-)
@Japanalia: Thank you very much Gabriela! Yes, the fight to save old growth forests is hotly disputed both in the US and Canada! ;-)
@MARIANA: Thank you very much Mariana! ;-)
@GJC: Thank you very much GJC! Yes, entering an old growth forest is something akin to entering a place of worship.... ;-)
@B. Thomas: Thank you very much Barbara! Hope you enjoy the rest of the trip..... ;-)
@Terral: Thank you very much Terral! Hold tight we are getting there in due course...... ;-)
@P. Morris: Thank you very much Phil! Stay with me for the rest of the trip....you will not be disappointed! ;-)
@Bettina: Thank you very much Bettina! These giants block out the sunshine from the forest floor. The resulting atmosphere is unique and awe inspiring. Hopefully by the end of the series I hope you will agree.... ;-)
@john4jack: Thank you very much Jack! ;-)
@Christel: Thank you very much Christel! These giant trees block the sunlight from reaching the forest floor. It is an impressive sight to see..... ;-)
@Denny Jump Photo: Thank you very much Denny! I think it is important to put each photo into a context where viewers can understand what they are seeing. Glad it brings back good memories.... ;-)
@Philip: Thank you very much Philip! This type of old growth has long since been depleted in Europe. It is something that I feel everyone needs to see in their lifetime. You will not escape unchanged...... ;-)
@Lalena: Thank you very much Lalena! ;-)
@larans: Thank you very much Larans! Yes, some estimates are that these forests are upwards of 1200 years old.... ;-)
@PATRICK: Thank you very much Patrick! ;-)
@Don Levesque: Thank you very much Don! Hope you enjoy the trip...... ;-)
@Judy aka L@dybug: Thank you very much Judy! Hope you enjoy the rest of the trip...... ;-)
@Elliott: Thank you very much Elliott! Yes, they definitely create their own environment..... ;-)
@Dutçh: Thank you very much Kristen! ;-)
@Georgie: Thank you very much George! Yes, it will be a lifelong memory to be treasured forever! ;-)
@Karthik: Thank you very much Sunder! Hope you enjoy the rest of the trip..... ;-)
@StarCosmosBleu: Thank you very much Marcel! Yes, the lighting is very unique and tricky when you enter the giant redwood forest as you will see in a few days..... ;-)
@Ioanaz: Thank you very much Ioanaz! ;-)
@Satvik: Thank you very much Satvik! ;-)