For the Trees

In 2022, the Oregon Forest Industries Council (OFIC) launched For the Trees, a long-term public awareness campaign designed to reshape how Oregonians see the modern timber industry. By 2024, the campaign had built a strong foundation and was ready for something new: an immersive experience that could transport audiences straight into Oregon’s forests.

“The best way to help people understand what we do is to take them into the woods or into a sawmill for a tour,” said Sara Duncan, OFIC’s Director of Communications. “But that’s impractical at scale. Virtual reality lets us bring that experience directly to our audience and even show them things they couldn’t easily see in person.”

In partnership with PR firm Hubbell and creative agency Unincorporated, the 360 Labs team was brought on as immersive video specialists to produce six short VR films and a 30-minute documentary exploring Oregon’s timber industry—its history, workforce, wildfire management, and sustainability practices. 

Filming Oregon’s Forests

Over nearly a year of production, we captured 8K 3D 360° video and spatial audio in forests across Oregon, at wildfire training events, inside sawmills, at logging operations, and even on the front lines of an active forest fire.

Filming in these conditions pushed our team to the limit. Working with the Oregon Department of Forestry, we had a detailed safety plan to meet all wildland firefighting PPE requirements. Our goal was to embed the camera into the action without slowing down the crews whose stories we were telling.

To convey the scale and beauty of Oregon’s forests, we used compact 8K 360 cameras on drones for sweeping aerials and built a custom rail dolly system to move cameras smoothly through rugged forest terrain.

Wildlife was an essential part of the story. On one lucky day near Fort Stevens State Park, our team captured a stunning 3D 360 encounter with a bull elk, which became one of the most unforgettable moments in the film.

Immersive Outreach

The first stop for For the Trees VR experience was the 2024 Hood to Coast Relay, one of Oregon’s biggest annual events. OFIC hosted a branded geodesic dome equipped with VR headsets and swivel chairs, giving runners and visitors the chance to watch the six immersive shorts on topics like wildfire response, timber harvest, and sustainability.

To streamline event playback, we developed a custom white-label VR kiosk app that allowed participants to select films hands-free by simply gazing at the menu. This made it possible for hundreds of people to experience the VR stories in a single day.

“The single most common reaction I’ve observed has been: ‘wow, that’s way cooler than I thought it would be!’” Sara said. “The younger generation absolutely loves it. Several kids came back to do the experience again because they remembered it from last year.”

Expanding the Experience

After the event launch, 360 Labs continued developing the long-form 30-minute documentary, which debuted on YouTube VR and Meta TV alongside the six short films.

To highlight Oregon’s logging heritage, we created an entire segment using restored 3D stereographs from as early as the 1890s. Bridging the gap between technology and history, these historic photographs come to life in VR.

The film was also adapted for the planetarium fulldome format, premiering at OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) and later screening at the Eugene Science Center. Each showing featured live Q&A sessions with foresters, scientists, and industry experts.

Results

Since launching in August 2024, For the Trees has traveled to 18 events across Oregon, reaching an estimated 3,500 in-person viewers, with more appearances still ahead.

“The reaction has been almost identical no matter who watches — from journalists to loggers,” Sara said. “Everyone loves it. It’s more memorable than any social ad we’ve run, and the conversations I have afterward prove it’s far more effective at conveying our message.”

For the Trees demonstrates how virtual reality can transform education and outreach, bringing audiences into environments they’d never otherwise experience, and creating understanding that lasts.