Van Pulley - TREE ETERNAL
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Statement
Cypress wood is known as the “wood eternal,” stemming from its famed durability and resistance to rot and pests. Ironically, its prized durability threatens the sustainability of the ancient species that yields this precious and beautiful wood, the Bald Cypress.
The fifth oldest living thing on earth is a Bald Cypress discovered in North Carolina that dates to the 6th century BC, but sadly, very few old growth cypress forests remain. Most of these unique and potentially long-living trees have surrendered to rapacious logging, agriculture, man-made alterations to their native hydrology, or the most recent threat, sea level rise and saltwater intrusion into fragile coastal wetlands and swamps where they have long thrived.
Van Pulley and his lens meander through the bayou to bring focus to these remarkable and mysterious trees at one of the most wondrous cypress forests left on earth. Pulley raises hope that in protected havens, future generations will not only appreciate the “wood eternal,” but marvel at the beauty and resilience of the “tree eternal.”