The Tree Project timeline focuses on the life and transformation of one Big Leaf Maple tree located on the Nooksack River in the northwest corner of Washington State. In 2001 the 118 year old tree was harvested by Andrew Vallee and Wesley Smith. All of the wood from this tree is being crafted into furniture and sculpture. In 2002 this tree will come together again in an exhibition at the Whatcom Museum of History & Art. Part of the exhibition will be a Multi-media timeline containing photography, text, and artifacts that will survey the life, land, and people surrounding the tree.

The story begins in the spring of 1882 when one Big Leaf Maple seed germinates near the Nooksack River in the northwest corner of Washington Territory. At this time the south fork of the Nooksack River Valley is home to the Nooksack Indians. The land is covered with a dense forest of Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, Douglas Fir, Alder, and Maple. Many of these trees are over one thousand years old. A single Cedar can have a diameter of fifteen feet and reach a height of three hundred feet. The first pioneers arrive later that year and begin to carve out their homesteads from the ancient forest.