The forest feeds

The new permanent exhibition “Mets toidab” (“The forest feeds”) was opened in Sagadi Forest Museum on 30 April 2010.

It tells the story of Estonia’s forests, which cover half of the land area and feed the entire country. Both in good times and bad, the forest has fed our economy with timber, thereby helping us overcome difficulties and increasing our standard of living. The forest has also nourished our culture by keeping us in contact with the heritage of our ancestors – the skills needed to use the various gifts of the forest and be inspired by them. Our language, stories and songs as well as the everyday wooden objects we use demonstrate our close connection with the forest.

The forest feeds us because the trees and other green plants that grow in the forest have a special capacity for storing the energy of the sun and producing an organic substance without which the economy, human society and life on Earth could exist.

The forest feeds its inhabitants – the species of the forest who are connected in a network that also keeps the forest thriving for people.

For the forest to be able to feed everybody, it has to be managed wisely! For the forest to be able to feed everybody, we have to recognise and publicly talk about its value! For the forest to be able to feed everybody, we have to preserve the forest environment and protect the diversity of forest life!

The design of the exhibition uses materials that correspond to the nature of the Forest Museum as a specialised institution: plywood, tree trunks and various natural materials.

The displays present interesting facts, important connections, historical and current information, and a wealth of photographical material, including pictures taken by our best nature photographers. The exhibition also features stuffed and mounted animals representing the range of species found in our forests, a large quantity of objects of interest, distinctive models, still frames from films, activities that require skill and cleverness, background sounds that convey the spirit of the exhibition, and the splendid scent of a natural forest.

The museum has not forgotten about its youngest visitors. They are welcome to play in the children’s corner, which contains a so-called bear house that offers exciting activities for boys and girls alike.

The exhibits are accompanied by texts in Estonian and English.