Half of Washington is covered in forest—over 22 million acres with pine, fir, hemlock, cedar, spruce, and other year-round vibrants. The rainy climate keeps things lush, and it’s no wonder one early Seattle pioneer and real estate agent called this place “The Evergreen State.” The tag caught on, and in 1893 the legislature declared it the state’s official nickname. Those living emeralds that set Washington apart over a century ago continue to give this place so much character. Their moodiness finds a way into the psyche of those who keep the company of the woods, and who soon discover that the evergreen state is also a state of being: one that eternally holds its own, even as the seasons shift around it.