The Life & Love of Trees

The Life & Love of Trees -- Trees are vital—without them we simply wouldn't be here. Not only essential, they have been an inspiration throughout our history. In breathtaking photographs and stories we are taken on a journey from the boreal forest at the edge of the Arctic to the rainforests girdling the planet; from ancient bristlecones to fresh-leaved seedlings; from the charming and familiar to the scary and rare. An elegantly written and highly accessible text is complemented by an extraordinary collection of images created by some of the world's leading nature photographers.

Lewis Blackwell is recognized as a leader in creative and photographic practice. For almost a decade he led the creative development of the world’s largest photo agency, Getty Images, and previously he was widely regarded as a trend watcher and innovator with his work as editor/publisher of the prestigious title Creative Review. He is a visiting professor at the School of Creative Leadership at Steinbeis University, Berlin.

His books are considered some of the most critically acclaimed and bestselling in the creative field worldwide, and include The End of Print, Soon: The Future Culture of Brands, and Twentieth-Century Type.

Increasingly, Lewis's work has focused on environmental issues. In summer 2008, his exhibition "Nature/Nurture" was one of the highlights of the prestigious Shanghai International Photography Biennale. Through stunning imagery and provocative text, it tackled the sensitive subject of the authentic and artificial in environmental management, and extended upon a related exhibition, "La vraie nature de la ville," which Lewis curated for Colette, the famous fashion store and gallery in Paris.

A past judge and adviser to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award, Lewis has worked closely with leading wildlife landscape and nature photographers internationally, and he has been to the fore in driving a more conceptual and emotional approach in environmental photography. He led the development of the specialist visual research paper "The MAP Report" at Getty Images, which recently garnered wide recognition for its study "AspEn," an analysis of the growing green media culture of "aspirational environmentalism."

Personally committed to environmental issues, Lewis is working on a water-conservation and reforestation project, Cerro Futura, which will explore new ideas in agricultural land use.
Chronicle Books

Hokkaido, Japan

Species: Various
Photographer: Tohoku Color Agency
This winter lakeside scene on Hokkaido, Japan's second largest and most northerly island, reminds us of how trees are remarkable survivors: here a range of species withstand sub-zero temperatures and permanently wet conditions that could destroy most plants. In every climate zone, on every continent excluding Antarctica, trees have adapted to cope with, and often thrive in, testing conditions.

Yosemite National Park, California

Species: Sequoidendrom gigantum
Photographer: Art Wolfe
The magnificent size and age of the sequoia belies the fact that it has been reduced to inhabiting a small area of the world—the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, as here in Yosemite National Park, California, United States. It does not need to reproduce often, but to do so requires unusual conditions. Fire is needed to clear the ground and create the right environment for the cones to spill their seed in fertile, light conditions. And then it needs space and to be left quietly alone for many years…all of which is hard to find outside of a national park.

Tanana River Valley, Alaska

Species: Populus tremuloides
Photographer: Art Wolfe
The white bark of these aspens makes them seem to almost glow from within in the low northern light of the Tanana River Valley, Alaska. Aspens may seem delicate, with their fluttering leaves, but they are immensely successful, spreading across the boreal forests at the edge of the northern temperate zone. With their strong root system and ability to quickly clone, they often benefit from forest fires, being able to quickly regrow and take space from other species.

California, United States

Species: Unkown
Photographer: Richard Mack
This award-winning image is called "Tree Cathedral" by its photographer for good reason. Shot on a tree farm in California, United States, it shows a plantation of hybridized fast-growth poplar trees, and makes a powerful connection with gothic architecture. In doing so, it reminds us that trees and architecture have always been joined and not just through timber as a building material. Trees as structural inspiration have been there from classical antiquity through to the steel "trees" that hold up many contemporary airport terminals.

Pics found on Oprah, first spotted on SEED Mag