Our Mission
Kentucky Heartwood seeks to protect and restore the integrity, stability, and beauty of Kentucky’s native forests and biotic communities through research, education, advocacy, and community engagement.
Support our work
Kentucky Heartwood runs on a very small budget. By donating and becoming a member, you are helping protect some of the most incredible forests in the world.
The millions of creatures, from the fungi to the treetops thank you!
Kentucky Heartwood is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible.
Recurring monthly donations are available and appreciated.
Choose the subscribe option to donate monthly, or use the Donate button to give a one-time donation.
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Join Kentucky Heartwood for a one-of-a-kind festival featuring a youth music contest, art exhibitors, children’s activities, a chalk drawing competition, hands-on workshops, a folk dance, and entertainment by original bands Jasmine Fouts and The Sexy Tones. More info, youth music contest registration, sponsorship opportunities and vendor and tabling forms are all here.
Rise & Root Rewilding Project
Rise & Root Rewilding offers single-day nature camps to give kids a taste of the wild, play games, learn the basics of ecological systems, and get in touch with their animal senses; we also host an ongoing Forest School where kids have the opportunity to build deep connections with place and one another in a safe yet challenging environment facilitated by our mentors. More information and registrations forms are here.
Forest Service proposes to weaken protections for endangered bats to increase logging on Daniel Boone National Forest. Comments due by April 15
The U.S. Forest Service is proposing to reduce protections for endangered bats in an effort to increase logging on the Daniel Boone National Forest. Comments on the Draft Environmental Assessment are due by Monday, April 15th.
Directions for sending comments, links to project documents, and more information here.
Directions for sending comments, links to project documents, and more information here.
Pine Creek Project
Four thousand acres of logging proposed in London District of the Daniel Boone
Overlook on the Rockcastle River in the Pine Creek project area
The Forest Service has proposed yet another new, large logging project, this time proposing over 4,000 acres of timber harvesting in the London District of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Laurel, Pulaski, and Rockcastle Counties. Learn more here.
Kentucky Heartwood will hosted a presentation and forum in Corbin on the evening of Thursday, January 24th to discuss the Forest Pine Creek Forest Restoration Project. Click here for details.
Kentucky Heartwood will hosted a presentation and forum in Corbin on the evening of Thursday, January 24th to discuss the Forest Pine Creek Forest Restoration Project. Click here for details.
Hope for Hemlocks is a project of Kentucky Heartwood to save the Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), a tree of enormous ecological importance and breathtaking beauty. Hemlocks in the east, including Kentucky, are being decimated by an invasive insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae). Thousands of acres of hemlock forests on public and private land have already been destroyed, but this isn't the end of the story.
Join us as we use all the available tools to stop this ecological catastrophe. We need volunteers and donors and partners. We especially need your voice.
On our website, www.hopeforhemlocksky.org, you'll find the history and science of hemlocks and adelgids, alongside the resources and information needed to preserve hemlocks for generations to come.
Join us as we use all the available tools to stop this ecological catastrophe. We need volunteers and donors and partners. We especially need your voice.
On our website, www.hopeforhemlocksky.org, you'll find the history and science of hemlocks and adelgids, alongside the resources and information needed to preserve hemlocks for generations to come.
Stuart Butler Memorial Award Dinner
It was an honor to present the 2018 Stuart Butler Memorial Award to Chris Schimmoeller! We heard so many incredible stories about different aspect of Chris' life, highlighting her tremendous spirit, loving nature and incredible ability to get things done. Speakers included Connie May, Jim Scheff reading for Andy Mahler, Connie Lemley, Bob Pekny, Jeri Howell, Hugh Archer, Perrin de Jong, Xyara Asplen reading for Betty Beshour, Andy McDonald,, Mark Schimmoeller, Trina Peiffer and Joel DuFour. The evening featured an outstanding potluck dinner and was made possible by numerous volunteers, including the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington, Connie May, Hannah Helm, Trina Peiffer , Larkspur Press, Alfalfa, Bluegrass Baking Company, Good Foods Co-op, Good Impressions Design, Tona Barkley, Holly Hill Inn, Lyn & Jon Akers, Laurie Schimmoeller, & the Kentucky Heartwood Council. Music provided by Nat Colten & Jeri Katherine Howell. More photos here.
Fall Newsletter, December, 2018
Our newsletter is available in an easy to read version, above, and as a ready to print publication, below.
Volunteer Opportunity: We could always use help spreading the word about what is happening on our public lands. So, if you know of a place that would be good to put our newsletters, please lend a hand by printing out as many as you need and distribute them where you see fit. Or, let us know how many you need and we will mail them to you. Thank you!
(Printing tips: print orientation is landscape, two sided printing - flip on short end, and collate.)
Volunteer Opportunity: We could always use help spreading the word about what is happening on our public lands. So, if you know of a place that would be good to put our newsletters, please lend a hand by printing out as many as you need and distribute them where you see fit. Or, let us know how many you need and we will mail them to you. Thank you!
(Printing tips: print orientation is landscape, two sided printing - flip on short end, and collate.)
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These are just a few photos from the 2018 Music Fest. Click here to view the full collection.
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Forest in Little Egypt protected from logging through citizen engagement and the NEPA process.
Forest Watch
Follow the links for more information about the following projects on the Daniel Boone National Forest:
- Forest Plan Amendment
- South Red Bird Project
- Blackwater IRMS
- Pine Creek Forest Restoration Project
- Greenwood project
- Beaver Creek
- Climax and Little Egypt
- Upper Rock Creek
We are excited to share this video with the world! Take a journey through the history of Kentucky Heartwood. Shot and edited by Sellus Wilder, and produced by Joel Dufour.
Kentucky Heartwood Challenges Major Timber Project on Kentucky’s Daniel Boone National Forest
Rare Species and Restoration Take Back Seat to Logging Plans
Read our press release, including our formal objection, by visiting our blog post for this story (scroll to bottom of the post to download the pdf of our objection).
Read our press release, including our formal objection, by visiting our blog post for this story (scroll to bottom of the post to download the pdf of our objection).
Old Growth Forest website for Kentucky
Kentucky Heartwood's project, dedicated to the past, present, and future of old-growth forests in Kentucky, featuring information, photos, and maps of a growing number of old-growth forests.
Visit and learn more about Kentucky Old Growth.
Visit and learn more about Kentucky Old Growth.
We Saved Pisgah Bay!
After more than a year of hard work, Kentucky Heartwood and our allies with the Coalition to Preserve Land Between the Lakes succeeded in convincing the Forest Service to withdraw the Pisgah Bay Project and more than 4,000 acres of commercial logging!
Click here to learn more.
Click here to learn more.
The Little Egypt Heritage Trail: An alternative vision for a remarkable forest
Did you know that the third oldest known shortleaf pine on the planet lives in Rockcastle county, Kentucky, in the Daniel Boone National Forest? It is 319 years old (as of 2016). It stands in a forest that was proposed for logging in 2010. After a public campaign led by Kentucky Heartwood members to save Climax and Little Egypt, the logging project was withdrawn. This tree stands because people cared and stood up to protect our public forest. Learn more about our proposal to develop a hiking and equestrian trail system that would take visitors not only to see this magnificent tree, but also promotes the cultural and natural history of Rockcastle County.
Logging has begun in Upper Rock Creek
More info & pictures here,
If this upsets you as much as us, please consider becoming a member or donating to Kentucky Heartwood so that we can have the resources to effectively challenge these projects!
If this upsets you as much as us, please consider becoming a member or donating to Kentucky Heartwood so that we can have the resources to effectively challenge these projects!