The world’s most amazing old-growth forests

Białowieża, which crosses the border between Poland and Belarus, is Europe's last old-growth forest. It is 580 square miles—not huge, but it has trees that are thousands of years old. When you think of old European fairytales, Białowieża is the sort of forest they might have taken place in. It's also home to the European bison, whose habitats were devastated by logging and who were hunted to near extinction during the last century. However, a strong effort to protect and re-breed the species has led to a great revival, and now over a thousand of the animals are estimated to live in the forest.

Australia's largest expanse of cool, temperate rainforest, the Tarkine has long been in a battle between conservationists, loggers, and miners. The forest is inhabited by many endangered species, and the great Huon Pine, a tree that can live thousands of years. The Tarkine has been home to aboriginal groups for tens of thousands of years, and it's not uncommon to find ancient tools and sites that were used millennia ago within its borders.

Tongass is America's largest national forest, spanning 16.8 million acres. As you might imagine, such a huge forest is home to ancient trees and many species of animals, including many varieties of bears, eagles, and salmon. In fact, Togass holds more organic matter per acre than any other forest on earth. Unfortunately, the forest is now under threat from subsidized logging.

Yakushima is one of Japan's Ōsumi islands, a subtropical region with lots of rain. The result is a diverse forest with almost 2,000 species of fauna. Because of its ecological diversity and many ancient Japanese cedar trees, the forest was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. The forest feels enchanted, which is probably why filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki used it for inspiration for the forest scenes in the film Princess Mononoke.

This tree, Jōmon Sugi, is one of the oldest on Yakushima. Eighty-three feet tall and fifty-three feet around, this is the oldest conifer in Japan—at least 2,000 years old, though some estimate it is up to 7,000 years in age.

Kakamega is the only rainforest in Kenya, though it was once part of a massive, old-growth forest. Lush and filled with rare plant and animal species (such as grey parrots and De Brazza monkeys), the forest is also a major source of resources for the surrounding population. It is also home to fig trees that are hundreds of years old. Unfortunately, the forest itself is under threat from overuse and changing human ecological habits.

The Great Bear Rainforest is a huge temperate rainforest stretching about 400 kilometres along the coast of central BC. It is named for the Kermode or "Spirit" bears that live there. These black bears with white fur cannot be found anywhere else on earth. The huge stretch of forest has remained largely intact for thousands of years, though it recently came under threat of industrial logging. Fortunately, BC reached a historic agreement between the government, first nations groups, and industry, to protect 85 percent of the forest from logging, calling it "a gift to the world."

Costa Rica's Braulio Carrillo is home to a staggering variety of plants and animal life. There are over 6,000 plant species and over 500 bird species within the forest. Over 90 percent of the park is covered in primary forest—that is, forest that has been allowed to grow without disturbance for a very long time. In other words, this forest probably looks very similar to what it did hundreds of years ago.

This passionflower is an example of the park's amazing biodiversity. Last year, Costa Rican president Luis Guillermo Solís signed a decree to expand the park by over 2,000 hectares. More than 25 percent of Costa Rica has protected status of some kind.