New Experiences in a Reopened Museum

Executive Director Joe Furia of World Forestry Center
Joseph A. Furia
Executive Director,
World Forestry Center

Last month, we reopened the doors of our Discovery Museum to the public for the first time in over two years. As an organization that believes in the importance of in-person events and experiences, it should be no surprise that we looked forward to this moment. The reality of doing so has already exceeded our expectations.

We are thrilled to be welcoming visitors back to our Washington Park campus and especially excited about a few new exhibits that we have added to the museum:

  • The Future of Forests is a free exhibit designed to engage our community and facilitate conversations around the urgent challenges facing our forests and our communities;
  • Rethinking Fire is a powerful art installation by Arizona-based artist Bryan David Griffith that explores wildfire through the intersection of art and science; and
  • The West is Burning, a documentary on catastrophic wildfire produced by Landmark Stories in partnership with Wallowa Resources, is now playing in our onsite theater.

In addition, later this year, we will present our first in-person Who Will Own
the Forest? conference since 2019 and two virtual programs exploring the social impacts of forests:

  • Who Will Own the Forest? 2022 (Sept. 20-22) will unpack critical issues impacting the most dynamic timberland investing environment seen in decades over three days of sessions;
  • Wildfire as a Public Health Issue will be a virtual panel featuring leaders in public health discussing emerging research on the impacts of wildfire smoke and what role the sector plays in mitigating risk and motivating social change; and
  • The Future of Innovative Timber Construction in Affordable Housing will be a conversation with project developers who are exploring how innovative timber construction can support the development of affordable housing.

None of this work would be possible without you, our community of supporters who stood by us through the pandemic. Thank you for believing in our mission and helping us celebrate this major milestone.

P.S. – This summer, your donation will support our programming and exhibit needs. Donate here.