World Forestry Center

Forest Pub: Emerald Ash Borers
2026-06-08 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | McMenamins Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St, Portland, OR, 97209, United States
TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE!

An invasive shiny beetle is threatening Oregon’s ash trees—and the ecosystems that depend on them.
Emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive shiny-green jewel beetle native to north-eastern Asia, has arrived in Oregon. With EAB comes an urgent challenge for our forests, city canopies, and the communities that rely on them. This month's Forest Pub invites you to a timely conversation about the tiny insect causing major devastation to ash trees across North America, what its presence means for the future of our regional landscapes and forests, and what Oregonians are doing to save our ash.
Speakers:

Glenn Howe is a forest geneticist and former Director of the Pacific Northwest Tree Improvement Research Cooperative at Oregon State University. His research focuses on ecological genetics and breeding of forest trees, forest tree genomics, and the effects of climate change on Pacific Northwest trees. Recently, he's begun working with others to develop genetic resistance to emerald ash borer in Oregon ash trees.
Max Ragozzino is the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Biological Control Entomologist working on invasive insect pests. His work involves raising and releasing beneficial insects to combat invasive species, including brown marmorated stink bug, spotted wing drosophila, and emerald ash borer. Before coming to Oregon, Max’s doctoral research focused on emerald ash borer biological control in Virginia and North Carolina. Bringing that expertise to Oregon, he has worked with federal, state, regional and local partners on the emerald ash borer response task force to deploy biological control in every county EAB has been detected in.
Glenn Ahrens is an Extension Forester at the Oregon State University Extension Service, serving Clackamas, Marion, and Hood River Counties, and Director of OSU Hardwood Silviculture Cooperative. Glenn’s areas of specialty include forest ecology, silviculture, vegetation management, and hardwood management. His general mission for OSU Extension is to improve our knowledge of forest resources and to help people in sustaining and expanding benefits from trees and forests.

Forest Crafts w/ Rad Creative Space
2026-06-28 11:00 - 13:00, 2026-07-26 11:00 - 13:00, 2026-09-27 11:00 - 13:00, 2026-10-18 11:00 - 13:00, 2026-11-29 11:00 - 13:00, 2027-01-31 11:00 - 13:00, 2027-02-28 11:00 - 13:00, 2027-03-28 11:00 - 13:00 and 10 more dates | Discovery Museum, World Forestry Center, 4033 SW Canyon Road, Portland, OR, 97221, United States
Join us once a month and explore your creative nature here at World Forestry Center’s Discovery Museum with our friend at RAD Creative. From Forests in a Bottle to paper snails, seed shares, and fairy houses – tap into your creative side and make something memorable.
This event is family-friendly, and crafts are geared toward kids who can independently use scissors, glue sticks, and basic school supplies or with parental assistance. All crafts vary in presentation. Adult supervision at all times is required. Craft supplies, tools, and guidance are included with museum admission and do not require pre-registration.

Forest Stories
2026-07-01 11:30 - 12:00, 2026-08-05 11:30 - 12:00, 2026-09-02 11:30 - 12:00, 2026-10-07 11:30 - 12:00, 2026-11-04 11:30 - 12:00, 2026-12-02 11:30 - 12:00 | Discovery Museum, World Forestry Center, 4033 SW Canyon Road, Portland, OR, 97221, United States
On the first Wednesday of the month, join us in the Discovery Museum’s reading nook for Forest Stories. A storytime dedicated to forests and forest-themed books that connect adults and children and engage the imagination. Coloring pages are also available.
This offering is included with museum admission.

Forest Pub | Drag as a Doorway to the Forest
2026-07-13 19:00 - 20:30 | McMenamins Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St, Portland, OR, 97209, United States
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Kick off Pride Week with a Forest Pub that invites fresh voices and new ways of connecting to our forests, featuring Efemmera Gendera and Thespis D. Light of Drag Me Outside.
Drag Me Outside, a Portland-based group founded by drag queen Efemmera Gendera and drag king Thespis D. Light, reimagines how we engage with the natural world. By blending drag performance with their nature-focused backgrounds, they open unexpected and inclusive pathways into environmental learning, creating space for curiosity, connection, and belonging.
This month’s Forest Pub celebrates Pride month and is all about expanding who feels welcome in conversations about forests, and how those conversations begin. Through performance, storytelling, and lived experience, Efemmera and Thespis invite us to see forests differently: as places of expression, community, and possibility.
Join us for an evening of drag, dialogue, and connection, and explore how new perspectives can deepen our relationship with the natural world.

ForestFest | Free Day at the Discovery Museum
2026-07-18 10:00 - 18:00 | World Forestry Center
Celebrate the wonders of forests at ForestFest, a free, family-friendly day of hands-on discovery, creativity, and outdoor fun in the heart of Washington Park. In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and their Forests250 Initiative, highlighting 250 years of public lands stewardship and the vital role forests play in our lives.
Explore interactive kid zones, forest-themed crafts, live music, workshops, lawn games, a traveling sawmill, food and drink vendors, and community partners working to support healthy forests and resilient communities.
A highlight of the day is a special Moon Tree dedication and chances to meet Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl, and be among the first to experience our new Woodsy Owl pop-up exhibit. Also, stop by our StoryBooth to capture your own forest story to possibly be featured in a podcast episode!
This day is part of our Free Day Series at the Discovery Museum celebrating 60 years of World Forestry Center, presented by Hampton Lumber.

Event Schedule:

10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (ALL DAY) | Community Vendors & ActivitiesVisit community vendor booths and enjoy some family-friendly activities and crafts. Thorughout the day, Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl will make appearances for photos and handing out resources!

10:30 AM | Drag Morning HikeJoin Efmmera & Thespis from Drag Me Outside for a morning hike, this hike is geared towards families. Registration required.

11:00 AM | Author Storytime: Silpa Kona - Mt. Hood Room Children's author Silpa Kona will read some of her recent books, including "A Monster on My Trail." This reading will be held inside the Discovery Museum in our Mt. Hood Room.

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Record your forest storyStop by the Forest Storybooth to share what forests mean to you, a powerful memory, or your hopes for the future. These stories will be used to create a podcast with US Forest Service & Forests205. The Storybooth Experience will be collecting stories from 11 am to 1 pm and 2 to 4 pm.

11:30 AM - 1:00 PM | Live Music: TBDStay tuned! No pun intended.

12:30 PM | Drag Afternoon HikeJoin Efmmera & Thespis from Drag Me Outside for a morning hike, this hike may not be appropriate for younger children. Registration required.

1:30 - 2:00 PM | Moon Tree DedicationJoin us as we dedicate a Moon Tree, a Douglas-fir sapling grown from seeds that traveled around the Moon on NASA’s Artemis I mission. This living tree bridges space exploration and Earth’s forests, reminding us that the future we imagine in the stars begins here, in the soil.

2:00 - 3:30 PM | Live Music: Lynyrd NimoyEnjoy some rock music from local band Lynyrd Nimoy.

2:00 - 4:00 PM | Record your forest storyStop by the Forest Storybooth to share what forests mean to you, a powerful memory, or your hopes for the future. These stories will be used to create a podcast with US Forest Service & Forests205. The Storybooth Experience will be collecting stories from 11 am to 1 pm and 2 to 4 pm.

2:00 - 3:00 PM | Workshop: Mount an Epiphytic PlantDiscover the art of mounting epiphytic plants, unique species that grow on trees and thrive without soil. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn the basics of plant selection, proper mounting techniques, and ongoing care, then create your own living piece to take home.

$50 registration includes your plant and all materials needed.
Registration link here.

2:00 PM | Author Storytime: Audrey Saubel - Mt. Hood Room Children's author Audrey Saubel will read some of her recent books, including "Acorn Party." This reading will be held inside the Discovery Museum in our Mt. Hood Room.

3:30 - 4:30 PM | Workshop: Mount an Epiphytic PlantDiscover the art of mounting epiphytic plants, unique species that grow on trees and thrive without soil. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn the basics of plant selection, proper mounting techniques, and ongoing care, then create your own living piece to take home.

$50 registration includes your plant and all materials needed.
Registration link here.

4:00 - 5:30 PM | Live Music: JermaineEnjoy some live music from Portland-based, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jermaine.

Forest Pub | Heritage Trees, Living Landmarks
2026-08-10 19:00 - 20:30 | McMenamins Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St, Portland, OR, 97209, United States
Purchase Tickets Here

Come explore the remarkable stories held within some of Oregon’s most extraordinary trees, from ancient old-growth stands to trees whose seeds have traveled to the Moon. Across the state, these living landmarks serve as anchors to our shared history, connecting past and present in ways few other things can.
For more than 30 years, both the State of Oregon and the City of Portland have stewarded heritage tree programs that honor and protect these trees while inviting the public into their stories.
Join us for this Forest Pub with historian David-Paul B. Hedberg, chair of the Oregon State Heritage Tree Program, for an evening of storytelling and insight drawn from his years of work with both programs—and discover how heritage trees shape our understanding of place, memory, and time.
Presented by Oregon Historical Society and World Forestry Center, this program is hosted at McMenamin's Mission Theater.
Before the Pub: Arrive early for a pre–Forest Pub walking tour of heritage trees in NW Portland’s Couch Park. Meet at the park at 5:30 PM.
About the Speaker: David-Paul B. Hedberg is principal historian at Outdoor History Consulting in Portland, Oregon, and current chair of the Oregon State Heritage Tree Program. His work focuses on environmental history, the Pacific Northwest, and public interpretation. He has developed public history programs for Portland Parks & Recreation, including From Stumptown to Treetown: A Field Guide for Interpreting Portland's History Through its Heritage Trees, and served as series producer for Canopy Stories, a film anthology by NW Documentary about storied trees in Portland. His recent film, The Seeds of Peace, follows Hiroshima survivor Hideko Tamura Snider as she distributes seedlings from Hiroshima Survivor Trees across Oregon.

Free Day at the Discovery Museum
2026-10-25 10:00 - 16:00 | Discovery Museum, World Forestry Center, 4033 SW Canyon Road, Portland, OR, 97221, United States
Celebrate the kick off of Earth Week with World Forestry Center!!
Enjoy the Discovery Museum for free today as part of World Forestry Center’s Free Day Series celebrating our 60th anniversary. Explore interactive exhibits, take part in family-friendly activities, and connect with community partners through special programming that highlights forests, wildfire preparedness, and sustainability.
The Free Day Series is presented by Hampton Lumber.

Doug Fir Day! | Free Day at the Discovery Museum
2026-12-13 10:00 - 16:00 | Discovery Museum, World Forestry Center, 4033 SW Canyon Road, Portland, OR, 97221, United States
Celebrate Oregon’s state tree with a day of forest fun! Join us for Doug Fir Day, a family-friendly day of forest-inspired fun—make, learn, and play as we celebrate the Douglas-fir and the forests that connect us all.

Make your own wreath or swag with Oregon Women in Timber
DIY ornaments and crafts inspired by the mighty Douglas-fir
Doug-fir themed activities for all ages

Come together with friends, family, and neighbors to celebrate the forests that make Oregon home.
This day is part of our Free Day Series at the Discovery Museum celebrating 60 years of World Forestry Center, presented by Hampton Lumber.
