Forest Learning Center

Directly following the Mount St. Helens eruption, workers from the Weyerhaeuser timber company swarmed across the devastated land, hauling out enough salvaged logs to build 85,000 three-bedroom homes. The company did its part to rebuild the forest by hand-planting 18 million seedlings. Today, you can almost see a line between the trees that were farmed and the natural regeneration of plant-life at the mountain.

Built by Weyerhaeuser Company, the Forest Learning Center tells the story of the rebirth of the forest. Walk through the forest, hearing the sounds of the birds and animals on the mountain prior to May 18, 1980. Enter the “eruption chamber” to view a video of what the forest looked like immediately after the eruption. Hear a first-hand report from a local newscaster who barely escaped.

The second half of the center depicts the regeneration of the forests surrounding Mount St. Helens. Breathtaking photographs and life-size models of loggers working in the blast zone bring the experience to life. The Forest Learning Center tells the story from nature’s perspective and gives a hands-on approach to learning in the Kids Room where families can touch lava rocks, learn about the animals of the Pacific Northwest, and discover how trees grow.