Quinault rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington state, United States
© Chris Moore/Tandem Stills + Motio
A lush kingdom. World Rainforest Day
June 22 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, 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. For Canadians, British Columbia's temperate rainforests offer a closer connection to these landscapes, with towering cedars, moss-covered trails and rich biodiversity waiting to be explored. Let's show up for forests and protect what's still standing.
Related Images
Grove of redwoods in Redwood National and State Parks, California, United States
Golden larches and Prusik Peak, Enchantments, Washington
Forest hammock of slash pine and saw palmetto, Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
Small lake and marsh in Jasper National Park in Alberta
Clark Range, Sierra Nevada, Yosemite National Park, California, United States
A pine forest in Alsace, France
Hall of Mosses trail in the Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington
A waterfall in Olympic National Park, Washington, United States
Bing Today Images
