'You never know what you might encounter. There are snakes and bears. From time to time you find yourself picking raspberries from the same bush as a bear. But we leave each other in peace.
You have to respect the forest and the animals. The forest feeds you, gives you oxygen. What more do you need?'
Tonya Tugushin, Russia

Photographer Jeroen Toirkens and writer Jelle Brandt Corstius have researched the stories of the boreal forests, a band of mainly coniferous trees that extends across Europe, Asia and North America, and the people who inhabit them. At a time when the effects of climate change can be seen and felt clearly, there is an urgent need to share these stories.