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A local woodworker and artist, Voss said the idea of a Woodhenge, an art installation modeled after Scotland’s famous Stonehenge, came from the emotions of his work.

“I’m a woodworker, and part of what we do is we salvage local trees that have been diseased or fallen,� Voss said. “We have a mill here, and we cut these trees open. I’ve noticed that when my sawyer, he’s cutting a tree, and the tree is really beautiful, everybody feels really good. Then when we get to a tree where the tree is kind of diseased and rotten, the mood kind of changes.

“I said to my sawyer, I said, ‘Isn’t that interesting when you have a tree that is all good and healthy and beautiful, your energy is good and positive. When you get a tree that’s all diseased and rotten inside, you might be blaming it on something.’ Isn’t it interesting that you’re exposing the energy of the tree and you’re really receiving what is happening within the tree.�

Voss hopes Woodhenge will make visitors think and feel emotions and energy from the tree.

According to Abby Lorenz, director of public engagement for Adkins Arboretum, conversations with Voss went on a for long time, but the energy shifted on the project after receiving a grant in July.

“More recently the energy and movement around this project is through a Public Arts Planning Grant with Maryland State Arts Council,� Lorenz said. “He received a grant funding to focus on the planning of the installation, so right now we have created a survey for people to give feedback on what they think on the project. So I think that’s a big part of what we’re looking for because this is not just art for artists, it’s public art.�

The next step for Woodhenge is applying for a second grant for $30,000 in the fall to begin construction, but according to Voss, they will need to do some fundraising to complete the $75,000 project.

Lorenz said the focus right now is informing the community about the project and getting their thoughts and ideas.

“We just recently had a community meeting where we invited people that had knowledge of Stonehenge and cultural landscapes to come together and give their feedback and ideas, and Vico shared his plan and intention of really opening one tree so that you feel like you’re inside of one tree,� Lorenz said.

At the feedback meeting, residents shared on how they felt visiting Stonehenge and how that same feeling and cultural significance can be conveyed in a tree landscape.

“I think there’s excitement, there’s intrigue and in a way that people are interested in really what does it mean,� Lorenz said.

While there is no set timeline for the project, Lorenz and Voss believe Woodhenge will be built and open to the public in 2026 or 2027.

Woodhenge would sit on Nancy’s Meadow on the north side of the Adkins Arboretum property.