“We believe forests have stories to tell — not just in what we see, but in what we hear and feel. With Forest Sound Walks, we hope to open a door to deeper listening, allowing walkers to become attuned to subtle changes in the forest’s texture, rhythms, and evolving soundscape,” said Stephanie Stewart Bailey, Experience Developer, World Forestry Center.

Each walk in the series is self-guided and free to access through the World Forestry Center’s website. Participants can access a downloadable audio track, paired with a map and an introduction by a local forester. These intros provide context about the ecosystem, forest history, management, and stewardship, deepening the listener’s connection with the land as they move through it.

“By pairing composed sound works with an overview of each forest’s management history, we aim to foster a sense of curiosity about community stewardship. Listening to the forest in a new way can spark deep questions of the relationship between society and our forests.” added Stephanie.

This series kicks off with two available walks, each created in collaboration with acclaimed artists and sound designers who interpret the forest as both instrument and inspiration.

The first musical offering was created in partnership with local music commissioners Third Angle New Music and composer Bora Yoon. Portlanders are invited to hike to Witch’s Castle in Forest Park with a spooky soundtrack inspired by local lore and history. Yoon activates this trail’s place-based memory in her composition using viola, voice, wind, haunted whispers, music boxes, radio static, and electromagnetic disturbances.

The second sound walk, created by experimental composer Wayne Grim, guides listeners along 2.6 miles of the popular Multnomah Falls to Wiesendanger Falls Trail in the Columbia River Gorge. Grim utilized unique microphones to make site recordings within the forest (reverberations of tree trunks, amplification of echos within metal fencing, sounds of birds and insects, waterfall ambiance) and remixed them to create a meditative walking sound bath.

Additional walks — including an oratorio song cycle on the life and death of a tree, by Majel Connery, coming later this year — will expand the series to new forest sites across Oregon.

Forest Sound Walks seeks to transform walking from a routine movement into a heightened sensory experience, encouraging participants to slow down, listen, and re-tune their awareness to the forest environment.

Available Links

• Forest Sound Walks Series- https://worldforestry.org/forest-soundwalks/
• Columbia River Gorge, with Wayne Grim – https://worldforestry.org/forest-sound-walk-multnomah-falls-wayne-grim/
• Forest Park/Witch’s Castle, with Bora Yoon & Third Angle New Music – https://worldforestry.org/forest-sound-walk-bora-yoon-third-angle/

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