BIG - Man and the Forest

Denmark is a forest country. It is a reality. If we humans do nothing, more than 95% of the country will be covered in forest. Around the year 1800, the forest was almost extinct. It is also a reality. It was because of human overconsumption. It had to change, and it did.

This required long-term plans, because trees take time, often more than 100 years. Forests and agriculture were separated. Livestock were not allowed in the forest, now wood had to be produced. This was done rationally with trees of the same species and age on large areas; square, practical and good. Today the forest constitutes 14 %.

For a long time, production was what mattered. But gradually, wood lost its importance as a vital resource, and we set new demands. Today, the forest must provide opportunities for recreation, preserve ancient monuments, produce clean groundwater, help combat climate change and, not least, ensure a varied biodiversity. And the needs of the future will certainly not be less.

That's why the topic of humans and the forest is BIG!

BIG – Man and the Forest tells the story in a series of chapters, each based on the objects that have had the greatest impact on the forest's history. You will experience, among other things, the moose head, the drone, the forester's cap, the model ships, the chainsaws, the aurochs from Auning, the cubic meter block and much more.

In the middle, the mechanization is in place: The largest forestry machines in our collection tower under Denmark's largest animated ceiling: 800 sq m of forest sky, which in 15-minute cycles shows a day in the treetops with birdsong, forestry work, thunderstorms and all the other life in the forest.

The entire exhibition tells the stories in a way that can speak to each individual guest: be surprised by the roaring red deer and elk, feel the animals of the forest, draw your favorite forest or your own ship, try your hand at stacking a cubic meter of forest, test your knowledge of trees, measure in inches and cubits, like in the old days, try on the forest worker's safety equipment and feel how heavy the chainsaw is, take a moose bow, read all the details of your favorite story, click through the opinions of the foresters, go into the films or be amazed by the grandeur of the forest and much more. In short: a unique museum experience awaits guests of all ages in STORT – Man and the Forest.