HAZARD, Ky. — Three conservation partners teamed up Tuesday to reforest a former surface mine site in Knott County near Hazard. The event brought together TNC, Green Forests Work, and Beam Suntory. Approximately 75 volunteers from Beam Suntory, including President/CEO Greg Hughes and members of the executive leadership team, planted 7,000 trees.
Most of the trees planted were white oaks and shortleaf pines, but 2,000 American chestnut trees were also planted. The American chestnut was completely wiped out by the 1940s due to chestnut blight, a fungal disease native to east Asia. Foresters are trying a new blight-resistant species for these new plantings. It will take time to re-establish this tree species on the Eastern Kentucky landscape, but this planting is an important step in trying to restore American chestnuts.
Scientific studies on these three years of planting have demonstrated success not only in establishing new forests but also in establishing wetlands, with thriving populations of frogs, salamanders and other wildlife on the Cumberland Forest Project. The plantings and wetland establishment are having real and lasting impacts on wildlife and forest connectivity in the Appalachian Mountains.
Tuesday’s 10-acre planting was part of a larger 152-acre restoration project on a site owned by Kentucky River Properties. Green Forests Work was instrumental in expanding the partnership into this new property. The restoration of this formerly mined site was funded by Beam Suntory, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Arbor Day Foundation, and Green Forests Work.
For three years, the partners have worked together to reforest former mine lands in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Together they have removed invasive species, prepared highly compacted soil for planting, planted nearly 250,000 trees, spread approximately 1,300 pounds of seed for native grasses and forbs, and engaged nearly 300 volunteers to connect with nature and create a legacy of forest restoration and climate resiliency.
Prior to the March 19 event, the partners planted approximately 50,000 trees on a 76-acre site in Knox County, part of TNC’s 253,000-acre Cumberland Forest Project. The project, which spans Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, features an innovative conservation approach combining public recreation, sustainable timber harvest, forest carbon markets, and impact investment.
“We are proud to continue our partnership with Green Forests Work and Beam Suntory for a third year to restore healthy native forests on former mine lands in the Appalachian Mountains. Expanding the partnership beyond the Cumberland Forest property means we are promoting reforestation at a greater scale in Eastern Kentucky,” said David Phemister, state director for TNC in Kentucky. “The conservation and economic benefits of these restored forests, which include a strong white oak component, are enormous.”
Benefits of Appalachian biodiversity
The Appalachian Mountains are a critical landscape for biodiversity and climate resiliency. This 2,000-mile mountain range provides a continentally important migratory corridor for plants and animals as the planet warms. In the Central Appalachian coalfields, many former mine lands require reforestation to realize the mountains’ full potential for mitigating the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Reforestation in the region provides local jobs for site preparation and planting, supports future sustainable forestry opportunities, enhances water quality, removes CO2 from the air, and provides food and shelter for wildlife.
Green Forests Work is a nonprofit organization with a mission to reestablish healthy, productive forests on former mine lands. Since 2009, Green Forests Work has planted more than 6 million trees across more than 10,000 acres in the Appalachian region and beyond.
“By working collaboratively and leveraging funding from the public and private sectors, we’re able to undertake larger and more successful reforestation projects throughout the region,” said Michael French, director of Green Forests Work. “Partnerships like the one here between Green Forests Work, The Nature Conservancy, the Arbor Day Foundation, Beam Suntory, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and other partners are the key to successful conservation and ecological restoration.”
Beam Suntory, maker of brands such as Jim Beam® and Maker’s Mark® bourbons and El Tesoro™ tequila, made a broad investment in the Cumberland Forest Project site reforestation, including supporting the planting of native grasses and forbs on the former surface mine site. Beam Suntory, TNC, Green Forests Work, and other partners are also working together to advance the goals of the White Oak Initiative. This collaborative, science-based restoration project seeks to stop the decline of white oak forests. Approximately half of the trees planted at the March 19 event were white oak.
“Kentucky is the heartland of our business, and we have a responsibility to give back and gain deeper insights about how we can advance sustainable practices that impact our industry,” said Greg Hughes, President and CEO at Beam Suntory. “We’re proud to support flagship programs like the reforestation project, working alongside our partners The Nature Conservancy and Green Forests Work, to help rebuild healthy forests critical to the future of the environment and Central Appalachian community.”
As part of the company’s Proof Positive sustainability strategy, the company has made long-term commitments to have a net positive impact on the planet, with its consumers and employees, and within its communities. This includes an ambition to achieve net zero emissions and plant more trees than harvested to make its new barrels by 2030. Since 2021, the company has planted over 435,000 trees globally, of which nearly 250,000 have been planted through its partnership with TNC and Green Forests Work.
A global company with approximately 6,000 employees in more than 30 countries, Beam Suntory is a world leader in spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails.
