In partnership with We the Forest, this video shares the story of Rachel Lee Hall and the meaning behind her award-winning film and her efforts to promote active forest management on our public lands, and how it can help to mitigate loss of resilience, reduce unprecedented wildfires, and restore forest health. Learn more at We The Forests’ web site.
Rachel has observed and surveyed the terrain of Oregon’s Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest for the past 40 years, hunting for mushrooms. Over the course of the last 13 years, she observed changes in the soil profiles, along with the effect of passive forest management, which resulted in a terrestrial story that burdens the forest floor with competitive vegetative demands. The result was a forest in decline, now in constant battle for sunlight, nutrients, minerals, air flow, and the vehicle that supports the whole ecosystem: moisture. Learn more about Rachel and her research at the Forest Under Stress (FUS) web site here.
Since her conclusion that the forest needed a voice to be heard, and three evacuations from her home due to the threat of wildfire, she created a short 9 minute film, “Forest Under Stress,” to educate audiences — through the eyes of three animated mycelia — what is happening to the forests above and below ground.
Forest Under Stress is a collaboration between Rachel Lee Hall and her daughter Michal Hall Bravo Ramírez. Together they wrote the script, and Michal took the roles of storyboard artist, animator, editor, voice over, and composer. This film speaks to their care and concern for this region of the Pacific Northwest. Since its spring release, Forest Under Stress has received 18 selections, awards, nominations, and honorable mentions from film festivals across the globe, with more expected this year.
