#24 of 30 #Edition: 1/1

Hunting down old growth trees has become one of my obsessions, particularly when it comes to western red cedars. They're one of my favorite trees due to how large and gnarled they can grow. They dot the trails around Vancouver, although some are very well hidden and require some bushwhacking to find. All of the huge stumps that were left behind from the logging days give a tantalizing hint of what these forests were once like.

Despite it being July, which doesn't typically see much fog, the weather was looking promising for some great forest photography, so my friend and I hit the trails! We explored one section of the mountain for over 8 hours, searching for hidden old growth trees and secret waterfalls in the beautiful mist. We came across three prominent trees that I had never noticed before, and one of them is featured in this image. The farthest tree in this image was huge - we made our way up to it, but the immediate surroundings too messy and chaotic to work for an image. This more distanced view ended up being the best shot I got of it, with a bonus old growth cedar to the left of the big one!

I decided on the name "Grove of Time" for this image because several distinct generations of trees are featured. In the foreground is a younger western red cedar (immediate left), as well as some sapling trees with fresh needle growth. These fresh needle tips are quite distinct with their bright green, and if you take a moment to give them a sniff, you'll find that they smell like citrus! As you move farther into the image, the trees get older, with the one in the back left likely around 300 years old, and then the farthest probably around 450-500 years old! To me the name was also fitting because when conditions are so perfect and the environment so beautiful, time fades away into nothing.

Artistically documenting, preserving and raising awareness of these trees is important to me. Although these particular trees are protected, they still won't live forever and many other old growth trees are being logged every day in British Columbia. Soon I will be returning to this area to revisit them - with luck they will have survived the huge storms we have recently faced in southwest BC.

I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I enjoyed making it, Tristan Todd

For more information about my roadmap, including my intended donations to charities and airdrops to collectors, please visit my website:

https://www.tristantodd.photography/nfts-the-rainforest-collection

To learn more about my journey as an artist, please read this entry on my blog:

https://www.tristantodd.photography/post/boundless-solitude-my-creative-journey

Any questions? Ask away!