THE GIVING TREES

An exhibition of photographs that record living ecosystems in Alberta and British Columbia at various stages of regeneration from immediately after to up to decades following fire.

During a drive through the mountains one day, a route we typically follow on the way to our favourite lake, I realized we were driving through a timeline of forest fires.  There had been many fires in this area over the last few decades since we started these summer excursions and today what I see is a forest in many different stages of regeneration.  And this transformation is fast, vibrant, thick, one could describe it as forceful.  It made me realize what I was seeing was a message of hope.  I was witnessing the resilience of nature, the tenacity of a forest to live.  So, I began to photograph, to celebrate its renewal.

The charred remains of a forest has its own unique beauty which I seek to convey through my photographs. To capture these images, I pack up my off-road vehicle and head deep into the uninhabited forests of Alberta and BC known to have been impacted by fire. Using a combination of fire access roads and logging roads I get as deep and remote as possible before heading out on foot with my cameras loaded in the pack on my back. As I wander these burned forests, I am awe struck by yet another beauty in nature, one much less appreciated: the silent, charred skeleton of a burned forest.  I want to share the ephemeral beauty sculpted by fire. The temporary silence that accompanies it is unique, and each time I return the visible evidence of forest regeneration is life-affirming.

Appreciating fire is part of nature’s process: “good” fires are an integral part of forest life.  As a documentary photographer, conveying this positive message is my motivation for this project I carefully photograph forests in various stages of regeneration following fire.  

I am grateful to those who have contributed their considerable time and wisdom to this project.  Academics at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary provided me with science-based insight into the long-term impact of fire.  Fire management personnel in our Parks system informed my understanding of policy and practical aspects related to fire management and fire behaviour. In recent times we have learned that the oral histories of Canada’s indigenous peoples contain valuable insights into fire as part of forest management. Interviewing those with knowledge of indigenous fire practices has informed my perspective on “breathing good fire into the landscape”.  I've come to understand that fire is yet another process in nature, with its own unique beauty and is part of the life cycle of a forest and the start of much new life.  

It's my hope that through this exhibit viewers will come to appreciate how fire is a part of nature, how fire is not the end of life in the woods but the beginning of a renewing process that will spark rapid growth of many species.  It's my hope that when people hear of fire occurring in a nearby forest they will pause and consider the life that will spring forward when the fire clears.

For prints in this series, I chose Hahnemühle Bamboo archival paper for this exhibit as the paper has a quality on its surface that slightly mimics the surface of charred wood.  The prints are large as I want to share my experience with the viewer, the experience of standing in the vastness of nature’s response to fire.