A versatile material with a myriad of uses, wood has long been seen as a valuable natural resource. However, uncontrolled exploitation has seen forests depleted or even completely razed. These images, drawn from the Royal Geographical Society’s archives, hark back to a time when the supply of wood seemed unlimited



The Royal Geographical Society Picture Library is an unrivalled resource, containing more than half a million images of peoples and landscapes from all over the world. The collection holds photographs and works of art from the 1830s onwards and includes images of exploration, indigenous peoples and remote locations. For further information on image licensing and limited-edition prints, or to search our online collection of more than 7,000 images, visit www.rgs.org/images. Rolex kindly supports public access to the Society’s collection of photographs, books, documents and maps.