30 Impressive Progress Photos Of Trees Growing Up And Making Spaces Greener

According to photographer Dominic, from Ohio, if you want to capture nature in the natural sense while taking pictures, it's "best to leave things as they are."

"I'm a big believer in the 'Leave No Trace' ideal and movement. It's fine to take modern necessities into nature, but do not leave them there," he said, urging everyone to respect the environment that they're in.

"The area of nature you are photographing should be left as you've found it," Dominic told Bored Panda.

"Your photos should mimic this ideal if you want to capture a scene authentically."

Meanwhile, the photographer gave some to-the-point advice for taking before-and-after photos of specific locations.

He said that the essence is to capture these images as closely as possible. This includes doing your research and lining up the shot to match the angles of the earlier photos.

"Sometimes, areas have really changed and it can be a challenge. So long as you've done your due diligence, I'm sure the results will be great," Dominic told Bored Panda.

Forest bathing, known as shinrin-yoku in Japanese, is a practice where you spend time in a forest listening to the sounds of birds and insects, touching trees, smelling flowers, breathing in the fresh air, and generally enjoying your surroundings.

Reportedly, this improves your immune system, improves your mental health and mood, and decreases your blood pressure and stress levels.

Look, full disclosure, but if yours truly could live anywhere, I’d have a house in the middle of a forest or jungle, near some mountains and the sea. Even though we’re all so advanced and have easy access to amazing technologies and comforts, living surrounded by concrete, glass, and steel can be demoralizing. Not just emotionally but aesthetically.

Our ancestors lived deeply connected to nature. Instinctively, we yearn for the same things. Being in harmony with nature and civilization is the balance that many people, including us, look for. Spending time in nature has a calming effect, reduces stress, and is generally far more peaceful than being surrounded by the 24/7 hustle and bustle of city life. From a very personal perspective, there’s nothing like an hour-long stroll among the trees to clear your head.

The Guardian reports that deforestation is on the rise once again. “The destruction of global forests increased in 2023, and is higher than when 140 countries promised three years ago to halt deforestation by the end of the decade,” Environment Editor Damian Carrington writes. In 2021, 140 countries backed the 2030 zero deforestation pledge at the United Nations Cop26 climate summit.

In 2023 alone, 6.4 million hectares (that’s 16 million acres) of forest were razed in 2023 according to a recent report by Climate Focus, a research group. Deforestation spiked sharply in Indonesia, as well as Bolivia due to demands for beef, soy, palm oil, paper, and nickel. Political changes in these countries contributed to the loss of forest cover, too.

In Brazil, there’s been some positive progress in the Amazon, but deforestation spiked in the Cerrado, an ecoregion of tropical savanna in the eastern part of the country. Other nations that have made progress toward the target set for 2030 include Australia, Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

Climate Focus notes that voluntary cuts on deforestation weren't working, so stronger regulation was needed, as well as more funding for forest protection. What’s more, other factors that can help reduce deforestation include strengthening the land rights of Indigenous people, as well as reducing the demand for certain commodities.

The European Union proposed regulations banning the sale of products linked to deforestation, for example, coffee, chocolate, leather, and furniture.

In early October of this year, the European Commission proposed a one-year delay, in order to phase in the system, after protests from nations like Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, and the Ivory Coast.

“We’re only six years away from a critical global deadline to end deforestation, and forests continue to be chopped down, degraded, and set ablaze at alarming rates. Righting the course is possible if all countries make it a priority, and especially if industrialized countries seriously reconsider their excessive consumption levels and support forest countries,” said Ivan Palmegiani, the lead author of the report and a consultant at Climate Focus, stating that deforestation has gotten worse since the beginning of the decade.