The focal point is the Gerdrum House which was built in the 1890s and has now been converted into a museum. Constructed entirely from a single, enormous cedar tree, the house is a fine example of a 19th Century pioneer home. Inside, there is an exhibit of antique wood-working tools, a homestead kitchen, a ladies parlor, and a gift shop. The walls are lined with faded black-and-white photographs of loggers beside immense felled trees that make present day "adult" trees look like little Christmas trees.

Outside the museum are information booths arranged in a semi-circle around the huge spar pole which dominates the field. Each booth has a different theme covering every aspect of forestry management, from planting, harvesting, and preservation of wildlife habitats to examples of various species of trees and wood products.

When looking at the ancient rusted machinery, two-handed saws, and huge sawmill blades, what comes across is the sheer stamina, willpower and ingenuity that it took for these old time loggers just to fell a tree, transport it, and process it.

The late Wayne Beech, a retired US Forest Service worker, came up with the idea of the forestry center after new habitat protection laws jeopardized the livelihoods of thousands of loggers. His dream was to have a center that traced the history of forestry in the region from traditional logging practices to modern day techniques. The museum opened in May 2000 and hosted the first World of Wood Festival, which featured chainsaw carving, storytelling, live music, food, and woodcrafters. It was such a resounding success that the forestry center hopes to hold this event annually.

The center is currently in its infancy, but the volunteer staff are enthusiastic about the future and have big plans. As we all know, from little seedlings, great things grow.

Note: The museum is currently open only on weekends. Forestry tours are also available.

Written By: Hilary  Higgins

Features
Kid Friendly  |  Wheelchair Accessible  |  Bathrooms

Comments
Although some people may not agree with the way things were once done, it is important to remember how people have lived and survived through the ages. An eco-system is an ever-changing organism. It changes constantly based on the needs of all things in the eco-system (much as the family unit changes over the passage of time for a family). Although we as humans need to learn (and have been learning) to be more responsible about the part we play in the eco-system, we cannot forget that we are actually members of the eco-system as well and are meant to both give to it and benefit from it. It is unhealthy to view all changes as bad and ourselves as a cancer rather than members of the eco-system. This museum sounds like an interesting bit of local history and I am excited to take a look.
- Jenn on Wed, December 28, 2005

"...photographs of loggers beside immense felled trees that make present day "adult" trees look like little Christmas trees." How awful! The descriptions of this museum sounded really interesting until I got to the part about it being a celebration of the ruin of our formerly wonderous forests. If those loggers had stuck with human-powered tools, we might now have a better appreciation for their work, and for trees themselves. We might still be able to enjoy what was supposed to be a shared heritage. Instead a few rich people got richer, a lot of loggers were done out of jobs, the ecosystem was trashed, and walking in an old-growth cathedral takes drives, hikes, and a certain blurring of vision to blot out the spreading, scabby clear cuts. I'll pass on this forest mausoleum.
- Joanna on Thu, September 22, 2005

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