The American myth of the dark forest is largely an inherited European narrative, formed in a different age, culture, and, most importantly, a different ecosystem. Yet this myth is still projected onto the modern young, often unsustainable monoculture forests that are largely results of reforestation, their histories openly visible in the land: one can identify plow terraces, lack of pillows and deadfall, uneven numbers of older and younger trees — all pointing either to agriculture, pasture land, or clear cuts. What then is a ‘true’ forest?
Old Growth is a series on fragments of late seral forests in virgin, disturbed, and modified states. In equal measure, it focuses on ecosystems and infrastructure — trails, elevated platforms, service roads, signage, remnants of past use — all the different levels of intervention created to manage the forest and accommodate the visitors. It is also, to some degree, a study of sacred groves and the similarities between protected forest land and traditional temples — explored in a separate series of poems, still somewhat of a work in progress.