Quinault rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington state, United States
© Chris Moore/Tandem Stills + Motio
A lush kingdom. World Rainforest Day
22 June is World Rainforest Day, a global moment and a year-round call to protect the world's remaining rainforests. These ecosystems aren't just dots on the map. They thrive across the tropics and beyond yet cover only about 6% of Earth's surface. Think of the Amazon in South America, the Congo Basin in Africa and the forests of Southeast Asia.
Quinault, in Olympic National Park in Washington, United States, is a primeval temperate rainforest. Rain and fog keep it growing, turning every branch into a living surface. Look closer and you'll see lush, damp abundance: Sitka spruce and western hemlock, bigleaf maples dressed in mosses and ferns and 'nurse logs' where new trees germinate on fallen giants. The forest floor is a soft laboratory of fungi, insects and amphibians. If you're visiting, start at the Quinault Rain Forest Ranger Station and take the short Maple Glade Trail to meet the forest at eye level. June 22 is a reminder to act. Let's show up for forests every day and protect what's still standing.
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