CLERMONT, Ky. — The famous Forest Giants at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest got some extra T.L.C. this month. Staff and volunteers are cleaning them, which helps ensure they last as long as possible. Since the Giants are made with non-pressure treated wood, there is a lifespan. 

It’s an enormous task to clean a giant. The two-step cleaning process is powered by Bernheim Forest’s Arts in Nature Curator Jenny Zeller.

“Giving them a good rinse, cleaning them with like an eco-cleaner and then doing a deep powerwash, and so we’ll let them completely dry, and then we’ll come back in 10 days to two weeks and put a penetrating sealer coat on them, a moisturizer of sorts,” Zeller told Spectrum News.

It’s a lot of work, which is why a handful of volunteers are helping Zeller out. It’s only the second time the three giants at Bernheim Forest have been cleaned since they were created in 2019. 

Danish artist Thomas Dambo created Mama Loumari, Little Nis, and Little Elina with recycled wood.

“Mama Loumari, her fur is actually made from bourbon barrel staves, which is really cool, and then there’s obviously pallet wood that was sourced locally. That was slated to go into a landfill,” Zeller told Spectrum News. She added, Louisville Slugger bats that were slightly blemished were also repurposed.

“There’s no pressure-treated wood whatsoever. So there is a life expectancy with the Giants, for sure, but us taking these measures to clean and then seal them prolongs their life,” Zeller explained.

Prolonging the Giants’ lives is important because they attract a lot of local and international visitors, more than 500,000 annually.

“Truly, the Giants have elevated Bernheim’s visibility. It doubled our attendance that first year, which doubled our memberships, doubled the field trips that were coming out to Bernheim,” Zeller said. “And that’s part of my motive for keeping them looking as good and as safe as they are because they are bringing people out to Bernheim.”

Zeller said the Giants are also helping Bernheim fulfill its vision of being a “nationally treasured leader in ecological stewardship that inspires the exploration of our deep connections with nature.”

“The different kinds of landscapes that you experience walking along the Forest Giant Trail to see all three, it’s just really part of the magic of the Giants themselves,” she said.

Bernheim Forest is still open and the Giants being cleaned doesn’t affect the viewing of them, but visitors may see scaffolding around the Giants and Bernheim staff working on them until Fri., July 29.