World Forestry Center

In Washington Park, the World Forestry Center’s Discovery Museum explores how forests shape nature and human life, from the Pacific Northwest to woodlands around the world. Two floors combine science, conservation, culture and art with hands-on displays. You can climb into a tractor, explore giant tree replicas and see a five-million-year-old petrified tree stump. The lodge-style building has a light-filled central space, and an arboretum beside it has walking paths. It’s a useful stop for families, though some displays are not wheelchair accessible.

Forests, from the Pacific Northwest to the world

The Discovery Museum looks at the many ways forests affect ecosystems and daily life. Its first floor focuses on the Pacific Northwest, including forests as habitats and places for recreation. Upstairs, the exhibits take a wider view, exploring forests in other parts of the world and how people relate to them.

The displays bring together ecology, wildlife, conservation, science and forestry. Sustainable forest management is a recurring subject, alongside the uses of wood and the challenges facing forests. Interactive elements give younger visitors ways to engage with the material, while signs and videos provide more to read and watch.

Objects and hands-on displays

Large-scale pieces help put the subject in view. The museum has a giant tree replica, a five-million-year-old petrified tree stump and a tractor visitors can climb into. A locomotive known as Peggy is another notable exhibit. Forest animals, giant tree forms and hands-on displays add variety to the two floors.

The building has a lodge-inspired exterior and a bright central atrium. Outside, the adjacent arboretum has walking paths, so the museum can be combined with time among the trees. Most museum areas are wheelchair accessible, but the underground animals display and the tractor are exceptions.