More from this recent series of adding materials/products of the environment into the natural landscape. Above are beef and lumber.

One of my primary motivations for doing this series was my internal conflict over uses of the land. Here in Canada extraction and other commercial uses of the landscape are a vital part of our economy. Forestry, mining, etc. create lots of jobs and and make up a large part of our exports. And yet as someone who is not connected to these industries I have a really hard time accepting any loss of wildlife habitat. In thinking these things through I fantasized about a perfect situation where wilderness and products could coexist. This imaginary place is what I attempted to recreate in these images: a locale where we could extract AND keep the natural landscape. Of course this is a place where everyone could be happy: commercial enterprises and environmentalists alike. And yet it is never possible to have it both ways, although now I think that attempts are at least made to work sustainably. Hopefully with thoughts of sustaining the environment and its citizens as well as sustaining the industrial extraction of materials.