A reminder that we are half way through the International Year of Forests – 2011. Let us not forget the importance of preserving and maintaining this invaluable resource. Here are some important statistics to consider:
– The livelihoods of over 1.6 billion people depend on forests.
– Forests are home to 80% of our terrestrial biodiversity.
– Trade in forest products was estimated at $327 billion in 2004.
– Forests are home to 300 million people around the world.
– 30% of forests are used for production of wood and non-wood products.
– Forests cover 31% of total land area.
– Primary forests account for 36% of forest area.
In the Pacific Northwest, efforts to curb logging to save the spotted owl and critical salmon runs from extinction have resulted in creating a huge carbon sink—larger trees and forests store massive amounts of carbon that would otherwise contributed to greenhouse gases. For once, unintended consequences are terrific for the environment!
My friend Frans Lanting and I are doing the Keynote talk at the PDN Outdoor Photo Expo 2011. The Expo is held in Salt Lake City, UT on August 4-5. The Keynote event is from 6:30 to 8:00pm on August 5th. I am looking forward to sharing the stage with Frans. Please come.
Here are the details of the talk:
For the first time ever, two of the world’s most acclaimed nature and outdoor photographers come together on stage to share images and insights about the power of photography to shape ideas about our natural world. Join us for a unique event featuring presentations by Frans Lanting and Art Wolfe, followed by a live discussion moderated by photo industry expert Patrick Donehue. Become part of the conversation and submit your questions to Art and Frans at Patrick Donehue patrick@patrickdonehue.com. Sponsored by EPSON.
I took off on Wednesday for a short trip through Oregon with friends. Just upriver of the Hanford Reach on the Columbia, we saw a few white pelicans on their way to breeding grounds in both Canada and the US. I just love this part of Washington and Oregon—while it is only a few hours from the population centers of Seattle and Portland, it has a wonderful feel of solitude. A colder, wetter spring has come late to the region, and there is still lots of snow on the mountains, which is a lovely backdrop to the rural landscape.
Please keep up to speed with all things going on at iLCP. Let’s not lose our focus on our planet. Follow the photographers that are keeping an eye on the beauty of the Earth and the atrocities occurring way too frequently .
Drawing upon his native home of Seattle, Washington, Art Wolfe has personally harvested the fir, salal berries, and cedar bark that are the essence of this audacious fragrance. This is a must for any Northwestern male, or any man who wants to smell of the Northwest. Be bold, be woodsy, be wild.
We have marked down all our 2011 calendars Half-Off. We have very limited quantities left of the gorgeous European calendars; these are like buying a folio of twelve posters. We also have a couple of wonderful inspirational datebooks available as well.
Shop at online at Art Wolfe Stockor at the Art Wolfe Store
It sounds odd, but I have been looking specifically for cattails lately. They make for beautiful layered shots of color and texture.
This past weekend I went out shooting with Libby and David, who orchestrate my workshops. We headed out to Washington’s Sauk River, dodged the rain squalls, and got some lovely shots.
The Sauk is a tributary of the Skagit River and drains from the Cascade Range. It has the reputation of being a great flyfishing river. It is also very, very wet.
The moss swells on the bigleaf maples and hangs in long wispy tendrils from the alders.
And then finally I found the cattails, standing tall and golden against red twig dogwood, with pale green forest beyond.
Please keep up to speed with all things going on at iLCP. Let’s not lose our focus on our planet. Follow the photographers that are keeping an eye on the beauty of the Earth and the atrocities occurring way too frequently .
