Snow-covered mountain peaks and famous "blue ribbon" trout streams have made Gallatin National Forest a beloved Montana destination.
Snow-covered mountain peaks and famous "blue ribbon" trout streams have made Gallatin National Forest a beloved Montana destination.
Often called the "Gateway to Yellowstone," the forest spans 1.8 million acres, six mountain ranges and two designated wilderness areas.
Gallatin National Forest is home to a rare, vibrant wildlife population that includes grizzly bears, gray wolves, bald eagles and the
Canada lynx, and the forest also provides fresh drinking water and soil protection through much Montana.
But devastating wildfires have put this treasured natural resource in jeopardy. Fires burned through hundreds of thousands of acres,
destroying millions of trees. In an ongoing effort to restore the beauty and splendor of this forest, contributions through the Arbor
Day Foundation's Trees in Memory and Trees in Celebration campaigns are supporting the planting of lodgepole pine, Douglasfir and
Engelmann spruce trees in damaged areas. To help heal recent devastation, the Foundation is also restoring hundreds of acres of conifer
forest lost in the Big Creek Fire that burned 12,000 acres in 2006.
The Need to Plant Trees
With the support of members, partners, and generous sponsors, the trees planted by the Foundation will help restore recreational space,
protect wildlife habitat and keep water supplies safe and clean for people living hundreds of miles downstream.
The Blackwater River State Forest, a woodland abundant in plant and animal life, lies in the northwestern Florida Panhandle. It is home to many wildlife species classified as endangered or threatened.
Blackwater River State Forest holds several distinctions which makes it a unique natural resource. This forest is the largest state forest in Florida. It is the central piece to the largest remaining contiguous tract of longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem in the world. It also is one of the most diverse habitats with more than 100 species of plants and animals to be found on a quarter of an acre. Home to rebounding populations of red cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises and Florida black bears, this ecosystem is one of a kind but once was the dominant landscape throughout the Southeast.
The Need to Plant Trees
To bring life back... to ensure that the Blackwater River State Forest continues to thrive and benefit the environment for generations to come... replanting is desperately needed. Thanks to the efforts of the Arbor Day Foundation members and supporters... the forest management staff at Blackwater River State Forest can continue to execute their plans for longleaf pine reforestation as part of the restoration of this beautiful and scenic forest. Precise attention to the balance of life is crucial for survival. For that reason the Arbor Day Foundation is helping to replant more than 1,600 acres of the Blackwater River State Forest. Restoring such an area will help maintain the precarious balance among species. These new pine trees will help clean air and water, sustaining the ecosystems within as well as restoring a beautiful natural site that lures 21st-century people back into nature's spell.
