Mitch Epstein: Old Growth

Ephemeral glimpses of ancient American trees not yet destroyed by climate change

With Old Growth, American photographer Mitch Epstein invites readers into a diverse transcontinental forest that includes white pines, hemlocks, sequoias, moss-covered cedars, bald cypresses and bristlecone pines that have survived for millennia. The book explores the enigma of time, while also evoking the forests’ historical struggle to survive American expansionism. Over the past 500 years, Americans have destroyed more than 95 percent of the original forests in the United States. Yet, these are indispensable in the fight against climate change–large, old trees hold significantly more carbon than replanted saplings.
Old Growth highlights the astounding diversity, interdependence and sculptural beauty of America’s ancient forests. Made with an 8×10 camera in color and black and white, Epstein’s images convey nuances of the forest that people cannot normally see, in the hope that gaining proximity to these epic, life-giving trees could inspire us to protect them. To borrow from ecologist Suzanne Simard, this book is not simply about how we can save trees; it is about how the trees might save us.
Mitch Epstein (born 1952) has photographed the landscape and psyche of America for half a century. A pioneer of color photography in the 1970s, Epstein was inducted into the National Academy of Design and awarded the Prix Pictet, the Berlin Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His work is in the collections of Tate Modern, the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Whitney Museum of American Art.