The project will showcase the impact and acceptance of wood as a building product and a by-product of necessary active forest management

The National Museum of Forest Service History received a $190,330 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service under the Wood Utilization Assistance program (CFDA 10.674), with an award date of September 12, 2025, and a completion deadline of September 30, 2027. This award supports the museum's efforts to develop and showcase exhibits and educational programming that demonstrate wood as a sustainable building material and highlight the environmental and economic benefits of wood products derived from active forest management. The project will increase public acceptance and encourage growth in the construction industry's adoption of wood-based solutions.

The funded initiative leverages the museum's flagship facility, the National Conservation Legacy Center in Missoula, Montana, to deliver educational content and exhibit materials that illustrate both historical and emerging wood innovations and technologies. This aligns with the Wood Utilization Assistance program's focus on expanding wood product markets and supporting sustainable forest management objectives. The museum's track record of prior federal funding and exhibition development positions it to effectively communicate the intersecting benefits of forest conservation and responsible wood utilization to federal stakeholders and the general public.

IT will also provide information on environmental and economic benefits of using wood as a sustainable building material to increase the acceptance and encourage growth in the construction industry.