# Green Forests Work

> Kentucky nonprofit reforesting former Appalachian coal mines, over 8.5 million trees since 2009

Source: https://treerm.org/org/green-forests-work · Updated 2026-11-08 · Data license: CC BY 4.0 (https://treerm.org/about#license)

## Facts

- Type: Nonprofit
- Scope: Regional
- Headquarters: Lexington, Kentucky, United States
- Founded: 2009
- Website: https://www.greenforestswork.org
- Volunteer sign-up: https://www.greenforestswork.org/volunteer
- Donate: https://www.greenforestswork.org/donate
- Events calendar: https://www.greenforestswork.org/volunteer
- Countries where they plant: United States
- Activity types: Reforestation (primary), Research & monitoring
- Trees on record: 8,500,000 (larger of latest cumulative figure and sum of annual figures; trees planted or distributed)

## About

Green Forests Work is a Lexington, Kentucky 501(c)(3) that re-establishes native forests on formerly surface-mined land in Appalachia using the Forestry Reclamation Approach: controlling non-native grasses and shrubs, deep-ripping compacted soils and planting native hardwoods, shortleaf pine, red spruce and American chestnut. It grew out of the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative and the University of Kentucky and works with the US Forest Service, National Park Service, state agencies, NFWF, the Arbor Day Foundation and corporate partners on sites in Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, Indiana and Maryland. Professional crews plant most trees, while 35 volunteer planting events in 2025 drew nearly 2,000 volunteers.

## Programs

- **Reforestation of Legacy Surface Mines** — Reforestation (2009–present): Core program: site preparation (vegetation control and deep ripping) and planting of native trees on reclaimed mine land across Appalachia, including the Monongahela National Forest, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Daniel Boone National Forest and private holdings such as Kentucky River Properties. https://www.greenforestswork.org/approach
- **Reforest Your Land** — Reforestation: Landowner application program through which owners of formerly mined land can have GFW reforest their property. https://www.greenforestswork.org/reforest-your-land
- **Restoration of Red Spruce Forests in Central Appalachia** — Reforestation: High-elevation red spruce ecosystem restoration on mined land in West Virginia's Mower Tract and surrounding areas, with wetland creation on decommissioned mine ponds. https://www.greenforestswork.org/project-reports
- **Shortleaf Pine Initiative** — Reforestation: Restores shortleaf pine and upland oak forests on former coal mines in the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee with NFWF, the Arbor Day Foundation, the US Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy and Suntory Global Spirits. https://www.greenforestswork.org/project-reports

## Metrics

> Note: Green Forests Work's cumulative totals are reported differently by date: the 2025 annual report says over 7.5 million trees on nearly 15,000 acres since 2009 (its year-by-year chart sums to 7,772,070 trees on 14,691 acres through 2025), the website in November 2026 says over 8.5 million trees on over 16,000 acres after planting more than 1,000,000 trees in 2026, and its Candid profile still says over 7,000,000 trees across more than 15,000 acres (and, elsewhere on the same profile, nearly 11,000 acres). Most trees are planted by professional crews rather than volunteers.

| Metric | Year | Value | Cumulative | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|---|---|---|
| Hectares restored | 2025 | 637 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.guidestar.org/profile/46-1296612) Candid/GuideStar profile (self-reported by GFW): 'Green Forests Work planted 1,573 acres (637 hectares) in 2025'; matches the 1,573 acres in the 2025 Annual Report |
| Hectares restored | 2026 | 6,475 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Estimated | [source](https://www.greenforestswork.org/) Derived: homepage 'over 16,000 acres' since 2009 (accessed Nov 2026) converted at 0.4047 ha per acre = about 6,475 ha |
| Trees planted | 2024 | 853,507 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.greenforestswork.org/_files/ugd/f07753_a4630a1246bd487494eb76bdad4ae029.pdf) 2025 Annual Report, p.6, '2009-2025 Trees Planted' chart: 853,507 for 2024 (the 2024 Annual Report rounds this to 'Over 800,000 trees were planted on nearly 1,500 acres' in seven states) |
| Trees planted | 2025 | 821,006 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.greenforestswork.org/_files/ugd/f07753_a4630a1246bd487494eb76bdad4ae029.pdf) 2025 Annual Report, p.6 '2025 By the Numbers': 821,006 trees planted, 1,573 acres planted, in Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio |
| Trees planted | 2026 | 8,500,000 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.greenforestswork.org/) Homepage (accessed Nov 2026): 'Since 2009, over 8.5 million trees planted across over 16,000 acres' and 'Over 1,000,000 trees planted in 2026' |
| Volunteers engaged | 2025 | 1,957 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.greenforestswork.org/_files/ugd/f07753_a4630a1246bd487494eb76bdad4ae029.pdf) 2025 Annual Report, p.6: '1,957 volunteers attended and participated in planting events' at 'a record 35 volunteer tree planting events' with over 4,300 volunteer hours |

Confidence: self-reported is the organization's own published figure; independently verified means a third party confirmed it; estimated means TreeRM derived it and the note says how.

## Links

- instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenforestswork/
- facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Greenforestswork/
- linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-forests-work/
- youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgVYSUC09MxFnrBTaVpHGgQ

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