Forest Exploration Center

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Forest Exploration Center

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Forest Exploration Center, Nonprofit Organization, 1800 Forest Exploration Drive, Wauwatosa, WI.

Utilizing the forest to demonstrate and interpret the ecological, economic, cultural, and social benefits of sustainable forest stewardship to the people of southeast Wisconsin. The Forest Exploration Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that inspires understanding of the benefits of sustainable forestry through access to a managed urban woodland.

06/02/2026

New Trailside Exhibits at the FEC: Become a Fungi Detective on the Decomposition Trail! Explore how fungi drive decomposition in the forest, transforming dead wood into habitat and nutrient-rich soil. Along the way, learn the many forms fungi take. Discover how their hidden work shapes the forest around you, and turn your daily hikes into mushroom scavenger hunts!

These self-guided exhibits will be on view through the fall -- prime mushroom-spotting season.

05/26/2026

Thanks to everyone who joined us to observe and celebrate migratory birds of the Forest on Saturday! We were delighted to welcome author Chuck Hagner to lead the walk and share his deep knowledge of birds by sight and song. Jeff Roznowski with Bird City Wisconsin championed all the great things happening in "High Flyer" Bird City Wauwatosa and brought some bird friendly goodies. We identified at least 28 species of resident and migratory birds -- and a beaver, too!

05/21/2026

Let's get wild! Next Saturday, 5/30, there are a few spots left for "Snapshots of Urban Wildlife," our NRF Field trip exploring the wildlife of the FEC through the lens of Snapshot Wisconsin, a statewide Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources project that uses volunteer-managed cameras to observe wildlife and collect valuable data on animal migration, population, and behavior. Sign up through the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin site.

(Owl image by KG Moore)

05/16/2026

Happy National Love a Tree Day! Here are ten reasons (among so many others!) we love trees. What are yours?

1. The diversity of tree shapes, sizes, colors, and needs is a good reminder that we’re all special in our own ways.
2. Trees provide delicious foods, like maple syrup and walnuts.
3. They make our surroundings more beautiful.
4. Leafy trees provide shade and help cool cities in summer.
5. Trees capture carbon and filter water, mitigating some effects of climate change.
6. Their timber is used in buildings, furniture, paper…the list goes on.
7. Walking in a woodland (forest bathing) can induce feelings of calm and healing.
8. Even dead trees sustain life, as nesting sites, hosts for fungi, and nourishing soil.
9. Wildlife rely on trees to rest, nest, and feed.
10. Researching trees helps us understand so much about ecology, cooperation, climate change, and the natural world.

Image of sawmill by Danielle Pahlisch / Image of Eastern bluebird by KG Moore

05/11/2026

How many spring ephemerals can you identify? The Forest trail in May is a journey of discovery as trees begin to leaf out, the first spring flowers emerge, and the air is alive with birdsong. And the more species you can recognize, the more you can appreciate! New on our blog, Kimberly Mackowski of TheParkNextDoor shares images to help you identify some of the many spring ephemerals that brighten the forest understory. https://forestexplorationcenter.org/words-from-the-woods-blog/spring-ephemerals

05/07/2026

Great news: the hazard trees have been removed, and the FEC trails, parking lot, and entrance road are reopened! We welcome you back to see the spring ephemerals, trees beginning to leaf out, and migratory birds resting and nesting in the urban woodland.

05/03/2026

Reminder! The Forest Exploration Center trails, parking lot, and entrance road will be closed beginning on Tuesday, May 5, while a crew works to remove hazard trees for your safety.

Address

1800 Forest Exploration Drive
Wauwatosa, WI
53213

Website

https://www.forestexplorationcenter.org/, http://forestexplorationcenter.org/adopt-a-seedling, https://forestexploration

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