2025 Annual Appeal

Vulnerability. Authenticity. Belonging. 

These are the quiet forces that shape our human experience. Through vulnerability, we allow others to meet us as we are – messy, uncertain, imperfect. Through living authentically, we attract other humans to our circle simply by being ourselves. When we weave vulnerability and authenticity together, we find belonging that is deep and sustaining. Easier said than done, right? 

Being vulnerable means opening ourselves to being seen and with that comes the risk of rejection, judgement, or failure. Authenticity can feel dangerous in a world that usually rewards conformity and productivity over presence. To be authentic is to stand in your truth even when it doesn’t align with what is expected – and that can threaten belonging. In our effort to protect belonging, humans suppress the very qualities that create it. 

But not in the forest. 

In the forest, vulnerability is not weakness; it is the willingness of a fallen tree to decay and become nourishment for new life. Authenticity is the full expression of every being, from the ferns unfurling in the shadows, the tulip poplar stretching through the canopy toward the light, to the mycelium weaving unseen threads beneath it all. Through vulnerability, roots intertwine, sharing water, nutrients, and warning signals. Through authenticity, each species fills its own vital role, creating harmony through diversity. Belonging emerges naturally – not as possession, but as a state of mutual thriving. 

The forest does not strive to be one thing; it thrives because it is many.

The forest shows us what happens when diversity and interconnection are honored. The forest has already mastered what humanity still struggles to remember: that strength is born from connection, not control. Listening to the forest means embracing our own vulnerability in admitting that we are part of the larger system and that our choices matter. It means practicing authenticity and acting in alignment with our values even when it is uncomfortable or unpopular. Right now, those choices have stakes higher than ever. Now is the time for all of us to get uncomfortable. 

Political forces are aggressively stripping protections from our public lands, loosening regulations that keep our air and water clean, all while favoring short-term profit over long-term survival. They are betting on our fear, hoping we will stay quiet, conform, and allow the forest and our own humanity to wither. To love the forest right now takes courage. We see what is being lost and we feel the weight of a world in crisis. Even as flawed systems fail our public lands, the forest still stands and asks us to keep fighting for what remains. 

When we continue to fight, small glimmers of hope start to emerge. In the fall of 2022, Kentucky Heartwood filed a lawsuit challenging the Forest Service’s South Redbird Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Project. After nearly three years of legal effort, the court ruled against us this spring. This forest is home to the National Champion Red Hickory (Carya ovalis), discovered by former Staff Ecologist Jim Scheff. The original project proposal included the Champion Hickory in a stand selected for clearcut. After our sustained advocacy and legal action, the Forest Service not only removed the tree from the project, but also created a 100-meter buffer around the tree and its root zone. While the broader logging plan will continue and has already begun, we are celebrating this as a glimmer of hope and a meaningful “win” for Kentucky Heartwood.   

The forest has always been our teacher. It is our turn to take those lessons and act. Lean into your authenticity. Speak boldly. Stand firm for the lands and ecosystems we love. Every voice, every action, every contribution matters. By showing up and supporting our mission, you become a part of a living network of protection and renewal, like the forest itself. That’s why our work matters so deeply. Together, we defend the Daniel Boone National Forest, where vulnerable trees still stand and where each living thing plays its vital part in our web of life. Your support nourishes advocacy rooted in science that defends mature forests, restores biodiversity, and keeps Kentucky’s public lands truly public. 

Just as the fallen tree nourishes new life, our courage and authenticity can fuel a movement that protects what cannot speak for itself. Vulnerability allows us to connect. Authenticity empowers us to act. And belonging reminds us that our strength lies in connection. This is the lesson of the forest, and it is the call of our time.