From Devastation to Determination: Our Incredible First Year Journey

Finding Beauty in the Broken, One Year of Transformation

December 2025

What a difference a year makes.

Blue Ridge Parkway, October 2024

This time last year, we were still catching our breath. Hurricane Helene had just torn through Western North Carolina, leaving us with landscapes we barely recognized. Our beloved forests – those ancient sentinels that define our mountains – lie scattered across hillsides like fallen soldiers. Forty percent of our businesses were gone. Artists' studios, decades of work, entire livelihoods... swept away in muddy torrents.

But here's the thing about mountain folk – we don't stay down for long.

From Heartbreak to Hope

When Echoes of the Forest was still just an idea and scribbled notes on paper, we kept coming back to the same questions: How do we heal economically, emotionally, and physically? How do we honor these forests that have given us so much? And maybe most importantly, how do we transform all this devastation into something beautiful that brings us together?

By January 2025, Liisa knew. We'd create a woodworking trail across Western North Carolina, turning Helene's fallen trees into functional art that would tell our story of resilience. Every bench, every sculpture, every piece would be an echo of what was, transformed into what could be.

Now, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with our first incredible year behind us, we can hardly believe what we've accomplished together.

The Magic We've Made

Y'all, where do we even start?

It feels like just yesterday—that gorgeous June day—when the River Arts District welcomed our first dedicated woodworker's bench, crafted by Chester Shuey. That 800 lb. white oak bench currently sits at the Greyline Trolley stop near Wedge Foundation Brewing still makes our hearts skip. It was our very first Echo – proof that this wild dream could actually work. Especially when we landed our first Echo on the cover of Mountain Xpress.

Then came our beautiful partnership with the North Carolina Arboretum. They got it immediately. They understood that this wasn't just about making pretty things from down trees – it was about teaching resilience, sustainability, and the art of finding hope in the hardest places.

September nearly did us in (in the best way). "Shelly" – that magnificent 800-pound white pine box turtle that Mike Ayers created – brought so much joy to the Arboretum's Playing Woods. Watching kids climb all over her during the Wood, Wonder, and Renewal celebration... honestly, there weren't many dry eyes among us. And when Fox Weather featured Will Velie, a board member, talking about our mission? We knew something special was happening.

Chester Shuey’s October bench on the Arboretum’s promenade – the one that captures how wind and water moved through our mountains – stops people in their tracks. Mike's riverbed ecosystem display, glowing among the Winter Lights near the Thomas Dambo Trolls, has become a must-see (catch it before January 4th!).

Stories Within Stories

Some pieces carry extra weight. Mark Oliver's "Tea for Two" bench, coming to the Arboretum this Valentine's Day, means everything. Mark lost his entire Foundation Woodworks studio to the French Broad's fury. But he's rebuilt, right there in the same spot next to Wedge Foundation Brewing, and this bench is his love letter to persistence. Join us at the NC Arboretum on Saturday, February 14th, for the unveiling of Mark’s bench.

The Burial Brewing collaboration still makes us giddy. Six stunning barrels crafted from salvaged white oak by Appalachian Cooperage, with wood from Matt Christie of Green River Woods. Tim Gormley, a Burial Brewing master, is crafting something magical in those barrels – a special small-batch Echoes beer launching this spring. Talk about turning tragedy into something worth toasting!

Kwadwo Som-Pimpong's work continues to blow us away. The black walnut mantle for Biltmore Forest's community fireplace (revealing in January!), the bench for downtown's YMI Cultural Center, and THE BLOCK project designs... each piece strengthens the threads binding our community back together.

Looking Forward with Full Hearts

The momentum keeps building. Our founder, Liisa, has been everywhere – from Explore AVL panels, Venture Asheville, and 1 Million Cups – spreading our story and sparking new collaborations. Woodworker Mickey Strivelli even crafted the awards for our area's fastest-growing businesses, because supporting each other is what we do.

Come July 4th, 2026, we'll gather at the Asheville VA Hospital to unveil Mike Ayers' memorial bench – a veteran honoring veterans while celebrating our nation's 250th birthday. It's these layers of meaning that make each Echo so powerful.

We've been blessed with support from groups like the Walnut Cove Members Association and countless individuals who believe in this vision of a woodworking trail winding through all of Western North Carolina.

The Trail Ahead

Here's what we know for sure: our region is coming back bigger and brighter than ever. Not because we're forgetting what happened, but because we're transforming it. Every salvaged piece of Helene wood that becomes art is proof that beauty can rise from brokenness.

We're not just building a trail – we're creating gathering places, play spaces, quiet spots for reflection, and bold statements of survival. Each Echo tells a story: of the tree it once was, the storm that felled it, the artist who shaped it, and the community that treasures it.

Want to be part of this story? We have many more Echoes in the works, each one waiting for someone who understands that sometimes the best way forward is to take what's broken and make something extraordinary.

This isn't just recovery. This is Renaissance, mountain-style.

With boundless gratitude and excitement for what's ahead,

The Board of Echoes of the Forest

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Join Our Journey: Visit echoesoftheforest.org to learn about sponsorship opportunities, upcoming unveilings, and how you can help us grow this trail of transformation across Western North Carolina.

Save the Date: February 14, 2026 – "Tea for Two" bench unveiling at NC Arboretum