With the end of the year in sight, World Forestry Center’s investment in exploring new programming and partnerships is building momentum that should carry us well into the future. And it is in no small part due to the fantastic support from all of you.

First, we are proud to announce a transformative $1 million grant from the Cultural Resources Economic Fund (CREF), administered by the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon. This investment in our campus, approved by the Oregon legislature and signed by the Governor, affirms the relevance and urgency of our mission and underscores our shared commitment to building a more sustainable forestry future for all.

Over the past few months, we’ve been traveling across the region for our new State of World Forestry Center events—meeting with friends, partners, and supporters in Corvallis, Eugene, Central Oregon, and Seattle. These conversations are sparking new ideas, new partnerships, and new pathways to action. From our Legacy Leaders Dinner, honoring decades of visionary stewardship, to our Heritage Families Day and ForestFest, which welcomed hundreds of families back to our campus to celebrate the intergenerational legacy of forestry leadership, we are putting down deeper roots and branching out in ways that will make the organization more resilient and impactful.

We’re also reaching new audiences off campus through our Forest Pub series at the Mission Theater in NW Portland, including our most recent event which brought together scientists, winemakers, foresters, and the public to explore wildfire resilience and sustainable land use over a glass of Oregon wine.

Inside our Discovery Museum, we are enjoying new connections and insights with the adapted art exhibit: Sasquatch: Ancestral Guardians, a powerful exploration of Indigenous storytelling and our relationship with the non-human world. This exhibit continues our work to challenge assumptions, elevate underrepresented voices, and spark curiosity about forests in all their complexity. We are also putting the finishing touches on our first new permanent exhibit in 20 years—Wildfire, Climate, and
Forests. Stay tuned.

The experiences and events are educational, but we are also feeling the benefits of growing our community—we have reinvigorated something special and it is continuing to grow. Thank you for being part of this journey. With your support, World Forestry Center is poised to connect, lead, and inspire for generations to come.

With appreciation,

Joseph A. Furia
Executive Director

Related Posts