Green Forests Work

On Sunday, March 9, Green Forests Work collaborated with the Juniata Valley Audubon Society, State College Bird Club, PA Master Naturalists, and Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center to host Ethan Tapper, a nationally recognized forester, bestselling author, and content creator from Vermont. He gave a presentation about his book, “How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World.” The event featured an interpretive walk in the forest with Ethan at Shaver’s Creek, followed by a Q&A session back at the center. Over 100 landowners and forest enthusiasts attended the event. And our very own Eric Oliver presented on Green Forests Work and its initiatives in Appalachia.

In early March, as part of the 2025 Kentucky River Properties (KRP) project, which continues our efforts to restore shortleaf pine-upland oak habitat on formerly mined lands in the Cumberland Plateau, we planted our seven millionth tree with our partners, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Suntory Global Spirits, the Sheldon and Audrey Katz Foundation, the Arbor Day Foundation, the CW Zumbiel Company, Acciona Energy, and the Head and Heart Foundation. This spring, 176,000 seedlings will be planted at these sites, and 1,250 pounds of native warm-season grasses and wildflower seeds will be spread to improve habitat for pollinators, ground-nesting birds, and other wildlife. Since 2012, GFW and our partners have planted more than 1.1 million trees across 1,700 acres to restore shortleaf pine-upland oak habitat.

Guy Cove Watershed Restoration Project In 2008, Green Forests Work set out to restore Guy Cove Watershed in collaboration with the University of Kentucky Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering. This area had been surface mined for coal and reclaimed as a valley fill, eliminating nearly a mile of stream within the watershed. We excavated approximately 150,000 yards of soil during construction and replaced it within the watershed to form a new valley and bring back the buried stream. In the spring of 2009, over 30,000 native trees were planted in the watershed. Today, the forest has returned, the stream flows again, and wildlife utilizes this resource. The first picture is from 2007, before the restoration work. The second picture is from 2024, 15 years after the project was completed.

Green Forests Work and the U.S. Forest Service hosted a planting event on the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia for our partners at Komatsu on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Volunteers planted 1,500 red spruce trees over 2 acres, bringing the total number of trees planted through this partnership to over 600,000. In all, Green Forests Work has now planted more than 1,000,000 trees in the Monongahela National Forest since 2010.

On May 14, Eric Oliver represented Green Forests Work (GFW) at the Western Pennsylvania awards ceremony for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC). At the ceremony, the Altoona Water Authority (AWA) received the Excellence in Partnership Award for its work on approximately 2,500 acres of formerly mined land it purchased. Green Forests Work partnered with AWA to reforest 188 acres of legacy-mined land in 2022 as part of its land management plan. It also wants to reforest more acres in the future. Partners in the reforestation project, including PEC, GFW, AWA, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, PA DEP, and Bryn Mawr College, have united their efforts to envision a comprehensive land management plan. This plan includes reforestation, the development of mountain biking, hiking, and snowmobile trails, and public access for other recreation and hunting activities. This multifaceted approach ensures the sustainable use of the reforested areas. Another highlight of the ceremony was the recognition of Davitt Woodwell, a newly appointed board member of GFW. He was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his service as the immediate past president of PEC. During his tenure, he was pivotal in promoting and scaling up the ARRI-mined land reforestation in PA, a testament to his dedication to environmental conservation.

After Chris and May May Barton have wrapped up a work week with Green Forests Work, they can be found on their family farm working in their truffle orchard and training their 3-year-old white labrador retriever, Pinky, to become a truffle hunting dog. Listen (or read) "Off the Beaten Path with Sam Dick" as he talks to Barton, Brian Mattingly, and Amanda Humphrey from Maker's Mark Distillery and shares how the truffle industry is growing in Kentucky. https://lnkd.in/eAnAUcdh

Green Forests Work held a volunteer tree planting with the Moshannon Creek Watershed Association, the Emma Munson Foundation, and several Boy Scout, Cub Scout, and Girl Scout troops from the Centre County area on April 26, 2024, near Sandy Ridge, PA. The volunteers planted approximately 700 trees on 2 acres of previously mined land prepped in March. Green Forests Work provided the site preparation, while the Chesapeake Bay Foundation provided the trees for the site.

Last Saturday, April 20, 2024, Green Forests Work and our partners at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve hosted a volunteer tree-planting event at War Ridge Campground. Local community members, campers, and the WVU National Park Trust came out to help plant 2,400 trees on a gorgeous spring day. Tree species planted included red oak, white oak, red maple, yellow poplar, black cherry, and red mulberry. Because the site wasn't heavily invaded by invasive species, it was only deep plowed to decompact the ground. The native herbaceous and shrub vegetation and the soil containing its seed bank were left on-site. That vegetation will help protect the seedlings as they grow into saplings. We hope everyone who helped plant will visit the campground in ten years to see how their trees have grown!

On April 12th and 13th, Green Forests Work partnered with St Francis University of PA, the Altoona Water Authority, the Emma Munson Foundation, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to plant approximately 1,900 trees, including red spruce, eastern white pine, red oak, chestnut oak, black locust, sugar maple, and American chestnut, on a 3-acre site mined and reclaimed in the 1990s. The Altoona Water Authority owns the site and will help protect and restore the watershed. GFW provided site preparation, trees, and tools. St Francis Environmental Engineering students and staff provided the labor to plant.

Approximately 50 University of Kentucky and Berea College students joined Green Forests Work on Saturday, March 23, to continue reforestation efforts on a property near Hazard, Kentucky. Participants planted 3,000 trees across 5 acres of the 152-acre project area, including 200 trees, to recognize donor contributions following WEKU's Fall 2023 fundraiser. When completed, more than 100,000 trees of 20 different species will have been planted, including nearly 3,000 potentially blight-resistant chestnuts provided by the Arbor Day Foundation and The American Chestnut Foundation.