This summer, a six-sculpture exhibition — “Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King” — will place giant Nordic troll characters in natural landscapes across the Pacific Northwest. Five of the sculptures will be constructed in locations across the Puget Sound area, but one will land near Portland.

The trolls, ranging in height from about 12 to 20 feet, are the creation of Danish artist and environmentalist Thomas Dambo. He constructs them with volunteer help using recycled materials — namely, old wood pallets. His whimsical trolls appear in forests, along streams and rivers, and in other natural areas.

Dambo has already created about 100 troll sculptures around the world. These will be the first installed in the Pacific Northwest.

Construction of the Portland area troll, the first of the series, will begin this summer in the natural wetlands surrounding the campus of the nonprofit Nordic Northwest at 8800 S.W. Oleson Road, not far from Washington Square. The Portland troll won’t be visible from the street, and visitors will need to travel down a gravel path to find it.

The other trolls will be placed in Issaquah, Ballard, West Seattle and on Bainbridge and Vashon islands, though their exact locations won’t be revealed.

Instead, “troll hunters” will be encouraged to use a geotagging app to discover them in the wild, like a scavenger hunt, and explore the natural spaces they inhabit.

The troll sculptures are scheduled to be completed in September and will remain for at least three years.

In Washington, the trolls will be located on traditional Coast Salish land, and the project includes an artist exchange program with the Muckleshoot and Snoqualmie tribes. Earlier this year, artist John Halliday, a member of the Muckleshoot tribe, traveled to Denmark to consult with Dambo’s team and create a mural.

“The project celebrates the human experience of art by amplifying the network of cultural heritage between Coast Salish tribal communities and Danish and Scandinavian traditions,” Halliday said in a statement. “It reinforces the shared values of environmental stewardship for watershed protection, restoration, and preservation of riparian habitats.”

The trolls are funded by two Seattle-based nonprofits: the Scan Design Foundation, which promotes cultural exchanges between Denmark and the United States, and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, created by the late Microsoft co-founder (and late owner of the Portland Trail Blazers.)

“For us, there’s a strong message in cultural exchange, a strong message in environmentalism, and there’s a strong connection to these local tribal communities,” said Line Larsen, program officer with the Scan Design Foundation. “Trolls have a huge place in Nordic folklore.”

The six trolls in the Pacific Northwest are part of a 10-troll storytelling series Dambo is creating across the United States, starting in New Jersey and traveling to Vermont, Michigan, Colorado and then Oregon. In Dambo’s story, “The Way of the Bird King,” trolls are protectors of natural life here to help humans reconnect with nature.

Some 200 volunteers across Oregon and Washington will help build the trolls, with Dambo’s guidance, cutting wood pieces, clearing brush and making meals for the crew. Portland volunteers are still needed to help provide lunches and building assistance for Nordic Northwest’s troll next month.

To sign up, or for more information on how you can donate to the project, email info@nordicnorthwest.org.