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20th Anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption; New Exhibit at Forest Learning Center

20th Anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption; New Exhibit at Forest Learning Center

Published 05-17-00

Submitted by Weyerhaeuser Company

Twenty years after the eruption of Mount St. Helens that destroyed 68,000 acres of its forest land, Weyerhaeuser Company is opening a new exhibit at the Mount St. Helens Forest Learning center to commemorate the rebirth of the forest surrounding the blast zone.

The new exhibit, "The Forest Tomorrow, The Forest Always," uses interpretive panels; photomurals and videos to present an overall look at managed forests in the Northwest.

Opened in 1995 to commemorate the rebirth of the forest, the Forest Learning Center allows visitors to re-live the eruption of Mount St. Helens, view the destructive and regenerative powers of nature and witness the return of the forests to Mount St. Helens. The center recounts the seven-year effort of Weyerhaeuser foresters to replant 18.4 million trees on over 45,000 acres. Now, two decades later, some of those trees are more than 50 feet tall.

The Forest Learning Center is a unique public/private partnership that combines numerous exhibits, videos and sweeping views of Mount St. Helens. Weyerhaeuser Company, the Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation teamed up to develop this unique center. The site includes multi-media exhibits about the May 18, 1980, eruption, its aftermath, and the rebirth of the forests at Mount St. Helens; volcano-themed children’s play area; interpretive trails and observation area from which to view the mountain, elk and other wildlife; and, a highway rest area.

Visitors enter the building through the "forest that was" before the eruption, then move into the "eruption chamber" where they experience the re-created eruption itself through a hi-tech wall-to-wall video presentation. From there, visitors pass through the ash-covered "zone of silence" into exhibit areas describing salvaging the downed forest trees; how, with the help of humans, nature has sprung back; on into a simulated helicopter tour over the forests of the future; and, finish by viewing "The Forest Tomorrow, The Forest Always" exhibit.

The Forest Learning Center is located at North Fork Ridge viewpoint, milepost 33.5, Washington State Route 504, the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. The center is open daily May 18 through October 31, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY), one of the world’s largest integrated forest products companies, was incorporated in 1900. In 1999, sales were $12.3 billion. It has offices or operations in 13 countries, with customers worldwide. Weyerhaeuser is principally engaged in the growing and harvesting of timber; the manufacture, distribution and sale of forest products; and real estate construction, development and related activities.

Weyerhaeuser Company

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