Green Forests Work

Green Forests Work (GFW) has wrapped up its 2026 planting season, planting 1,006,920 trees across nearly 2,000 acres. Since 2009, with the support of our partners and funders, GFW has planted over 8.5 million trees across more than 16,000 acres. We are well on target to reach (and surpass!) our goal of 10,000,000 trees in the ground between 2020 and 2030! Check out our work below.

Nonprofit Tree Planting Organization | Green Forests Work | Kentucky Green Forests Work, a nonprofit tree-planting organization, creates renewable and sustainable multi-use resources by converting reclaimed, non-native grasslands and shrublands into healthy, productive forestland.

From May 26 through June 4, 2026, Green Forests Work staff worked with the adult crew from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Outdoor Corps on various tasks to complete the Tioga Reforestation Project. This crew of 6 people, along with Smerkar Services and two environmental interns from Juniata College, cleared invasive shrubs and plants from areas that weren't accessible to the machinery used to prep the site last fall. Altogether, they cleared nearly 120 acres on state forest property and private project within the project areas. They also seeded areas prepped for tree planting with a pollinator seed mix totaling approximately 40 acres.

On Thursday, May 28th, DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn and Deputy Secretary John Norbeck visited with the crew and worked alongside them for the afternoon.

Komatsu and Green Forests Work (GFW) celebrated Earth Day and the eighth year of our partnership by planting what will likely be the final phase of the mined land restoration work on the Mower Tract of the Monongahela National Forest.

On April 29, Komatsu employees planted more than 1,200 red spruce, balsam fir, and alder seedlings around created wetlands to restore forest connectivity and biodiversity, and improve water quality. Over the years, Komatsu's financial support and equipment have been instrumental in the removal of unwanted vegetation, site preparation, road and pond decommissioning, and wetland creation, so it has been fantastic to have their employees on-site to see the results of their investments.

The red spruce ecosystem restoration work on the Monongahela National Forest has exemplified the power of partnerships, and wrapping up the mined land restoration work was bittersweet. Over more than a decade, the US Forest Service, GFW, Arbor Day Foundation, Komatsu, Mennen Environmental Foundation, the University of Kentucky, Proteus Foundation, Appalachian Headwaters, World Centric, Argosy Foundation, Pisgah Banjo Company, and dozens of other partners restored approximately 1,800 acres of formerly mined lands through the planting of more than 1.1M trees and the creation of hundreds of wetlands. This work has included planting more than 50 native tree and shrub species and sowing and planting dozens of native grasses and wildflowers.