Tillamook Forest Center Opens April 1st

The center is the outgrowth of a public-private partnership 10 years in the making

The Tillamook Forest Center

(TILLAMOOK) - The Tillamook Forest Center, Oregon`s newest visitor and interpretive facility, located on the Wilson River Highway in the heart of the former "Tillamook Burn," will open to the public on the first day of Oregon Arbor Week, Saturday, April 1st.

The center`s 40-foot tall replica of a fire lookout tower has already become a local landmark, as has a dramatic 250-foot-long pedestrian suspension bridge, which leads from the building across the Wilson River to the nearby Jones Creek Campground.

The bridge and lookout tower frame the 13,500-square-foot center, which is filled with exhibits that invite visitors to learn about the forest.

The center also features a classroom facility, a theater, restrooms and a forest archive.

Interpretive trails lead from the building through the woods to breathtaking river and forest views.

Rustic benches dot these trails -- hand hewn from trees removed to make way for the building.

Center visitors can explore the past, present and future of the forest through artifacts, personal stories, photos, film, exhibits, games, hands-on models, computer simulations, interpreter-led programs and other innovative media.

Outdoors, the forest comes alive through salmon watching viewpoints, the bridge and lookout tower, and a network of interpretive trails that encourage visitors to consider the forest through the eyes of Native Americans, homesteaders, early loggers, firefighters, tree planters and future forest managers.

The center is situated alongside a picturesque narrow gorge of the Wilson River on a forested site planted entirely by school children.

"The Tillamook Forest Center will be a place where visitors can connect with the forest and appreciate its rich history and ecology, and the tremendous sense of hope about its future," said Doug Decker, Project Leader for the Oregon Department of Forestry. "The Center and its programs will highlight what a unique, important and interesting place this is."

Today, the forest is still recovering from a series of devastating wildfires in the 1930s and 1940s, is regarded as one of the largest forest planting efforts ever undertaken.

Following the fires, thousands of Oregonians, many of them schoolchildren and volunteers, helped plant more than 72 million Douglas-fir seedlings across the blackened landscape.

Interpretation and education programs have been underway in the Tillamook State Forest since 1996, reaching out to visitors with information about the forest.

Annually, more than 5,000 school children participate in field trips to the forest.

Sustainable design and construction have been hallmarks of the project since planning began in 1997.

Major building systems including heating and ventilation, plumbing, and structural systems have been designed and built with sustainability in mind.

A careful look at the wood and glass structure will show reflections of the past and the roofline will be reminiscent of homesteads and forest camps.

More than 400 donors including foundations, individuals, business and organizations contributed to the project.

During summer months (May-September) the center will be open seven days a week from 10 AM to 6 PM.

During the winter off-season (October-April), the center will be open from 10 AM to 4 PM, Wednesday-Sunday (closed Monday & Tuesday).

Admission to the center is free.

For more information visit www.tillamookforestcenter.org.