World Forestry Center Museum

One of Oregon's most defining characteristics, the perpetual rising spires of evergreens, is often the least celebrated. Many visitors who spend hours walking through the state's pristine wilderness do so with little thought to the delicately balanced ecosystem that has made Oregon forests the beauties they are. The World Forestry Center Museum aims to change that by giving visitors an in-depth look at the forests that define the Pacific Northwest.

While the World Forestry Center as a whole is focused on education and advocacy to support the conservation of trees worldwide, the center's museum is dedicated to the Pacific Northwest. The wooden hand-carved entrances welcome visitors into the complex's rustic architecture, with the museum's first floor featuring examples of the northwest's trees as well as information on how they fit into the region's ecosystem.

Visitors will get an in-depth look at the ever-present Douglas Fir that paints the state's western hills, as well as the Oregon Grape and ferns that color the forest floor. Present are the Ponderosa Pines that mark the change from a temperate to a high-desert climate as well as the numerous deciduous trees (Oaks, Maples, Cherry) that have taken root. The second floor houses a changing exhibit that focuses on regional culture as well as a permanent exhibit that explores how people interact with forests around the world. Here visitors can see the ways the various trees of the world are used and preserved based on the beliefs and needs of the country in which they're located.

After browsing the museum's exhibits, patrons can view a 42-ton train nicknamed "Peggy" that was retired from logging in 1950. During the locomotive's 40-year tenure, it hauled an estimated one billion feet of timber. The World Forestry Center Museum also has a gift store with a wide range of souvenirs, from handmade wood products to educational books.

- John Lovik II