Hopkins Demonstration Forest

Specialties

Hopkins Demonstration Forest is a 140-​acre privately-​owned woodland open to the public for self-​guided exploration, tours, workshops, and education programs.

We welcome guests during daylight hours, seven days a week throughout the year. Property maps are available at the information kiosk near our main parking area. Five miles of walking routes crisscross the property, connecting visitors with a variety of habitats and forestry demonstrations.

Enjoy a peaceful walk on our Watershed Trail to see how we manage the riparian area to protect water quality in Little Buckner Creek. Families and groups enjoy the Cedar Grove Picnic Shelter, while Scouts and schools like to meet in our amphitheater. We host many groups each year for volunteer service projects.

Check the calendar on our website for updated information on programs and activities. There’s something for everyone and something different in every season at Hopkins Demonstration Forest, where learning and growing go hand in hand.

History

Established in 1990.

Hopkins Demonstration Forest is owned and managed by the not-​for-​profit company, Forests Forever, Incorporated. Prior to FFI ownership, 120 acres of this forest was owned by Howard and Margaret Hopkins. After Howard’s passing in 1989, Margaret donated the family’s forest to the non-​profit organization whose name embodies the wishes of the Hopkins family to continue a legacy of sustainable forestry – to have this place be a forest forever.

The forest is actively managed, and in many cases it is volunteers who are doing much of the labor of planting seedlings, controlling weeds, pruning young saplings, enhancing wildlife habitat, and more.

Many school and youth groups use the forest. Other family-​forest owners come to Hopkins to learn new skills and share their expertise. Civic clubs and businesses complete service projects in the woods. It’s a very hands-​on operation.

Meet the Manager

Tim D.

Manager

Tim D. is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for Hopkins Demonstration Forest since 2003. Tim’s mixed background in forestry and education, is paired with a quick wit and the ability to communicate across a wide range of audiences. He has worked in forestry-​related positions for most of 30 years, with experiences at Hopkins since 1993.

Tim has a knack for matching the interests and abilities of students and volunteers with hands-​on, direct access to the resource experiences. There is no fake in his programs: there are real tools, used by real people to accomplish essential tasks in the forest. In the process new discoveries are made, new skills gained and insights shared. There are few places like Hopkins Demonstration Forest that promote such an authentic experience – like a «dude ranch» in the forest. Visitors will find Tim somewhere in the forest with a group of people – he’s the one with the yellow hardhat.