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HEARTWOOD is a regional network that protects forests and supports
community activism in the eastern United States through education, advocacy,
and citizen empowerment.
HEARTWOOD was founded in 1991, when concerned citizens from several
midwestern states met and agreed to work together to protect the heartland
hardwood forest.
This region was once blanketed with a majestic hardwood forest containing
more than 70 species of hardwood trees. Unfortunately, much of this forest has
been cleared and what remains is mostly isolated fragments of public land that
nonetheless play a critical role in providing habitat for wildlife, purifying
the air and water, moderating global climate change, and offering places of
beauty and enjoyment. .
Today, our efforts remain rooted in the heart of the central hardwood
region, with an emphasis on our “core states” of Indiana, Ohio,
Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri. Over time, Heartwood has branched out to
serve areas of need throughout an 18-state region, giving special attention to
the “at risk” national forests in Michigan, Mississippi,
Pennsylvania, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Virginia.
