Kanc 7 Timber Harvest Landing Area, Photo Monitoring – The photos included in this blog article show how a parcel of land in the area of Forest Road 510 along the Kancamagus Highway in the New Hampshire White Mountains has changed over time. The first image (above), taken in August 2011, three months after Forest Service did a controlled burn here, shows how this land parcel looked before it was transformed into a landing area for the Kanc 7 Timber Harvest Project. And the last image is from Auugst 2014.
I am using a technique known as photo monitoring to document this parcel of land. Photo monitoring consists of repeat photography of an area over a period of time. And the ending result is an interesting visual journal that showcases the environmental changes of a particular area.
In May 2012, the parcel of land became one of the landing areas (above) for the Kanc 7 timber harvest project. A landing area is where cut logs that were dragged out of the woods are stored until they are loaded onto trucks.
I wasn't able to create an image of the site in 2013 because of unforeseen issues. But I did visit the site again in August 2014 (above), and to my surprise, the vegetation was slowly recovering, and new growth was already visible. And campers are now using the dirt road as a camping area – see the firewood and fire ring in the road.
I am using the photo monitoring technique more and more in my work and find it very useful for documenting environmental changes in the White Mountains. The visual journal it creates eliminates the need for long drawn out commentary that is usually needed when creating awareness for environmental issues.
Happy image making..
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Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC
Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.
ScenicNH Photography LLC
Specializing in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, Erin Paul’s photography and writing focuses on the history of the White Mountains, and telling the story of abandoned places and forgotten historical sites.