Exhibit Description

The interior space of Ways of the Woods has been transformed from a 53-foot truck trailer into a museum-quality exhibit. Floor-to-ceiling photographs, displays and several interactive elements engage and educate visitors:

• “Rings of Time” combines photos and film with traditional music and spoken word, all projected onto the cross-section of giant white pine tree several feet in diameter. Visitors activate video clips through infra-red technology.
• Flat-screen video stations play profiles of people who live, work and play in the Northern Forest.
• Exhibit cases display hand-crafted forest products, non-timber forest products, and information about invasive pests that pose a threat to the health of the Northern Forest.
• Local community groups and schools created some of the slide shows and videos viewable on the video stations.

Exhibit content added in 2009 focuses on emerging forest-based economic opportunities and related scientific research, ranging from the development of biofuels to engineered wood products, forest health and productivity, and the potential community benefits of well-planned tourism development.

Outside the trailer itself, free-standing kiosks explore themes in Northern Forest history, including industry, adventure, conservation and recreation. Each display also includes materials created by Northern Forest student and community groups. Visitors will see:

• A logger’s spiked boots, vintage ski boots and 3,000-year-old stone tools.
• Exhibits tailored for elementary school-aged children that provide hands-on fun.
• Local artists and craftspeople performing music and demonstrating traditional handcrafts.

After touring Ways of the Woods, all visitors can share their thoughts and opinions about the future of the Northern Forest by posting their comments on the comment board.