Forests | Forest Conservation | The Nature Conservancy

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Forests of Life

For People, Water and Wildlife

Explore this important habitat and find out what you can do to help.

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Forest trail at Dolly Sods Wilderness South. The Dolly Sods Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia and part of the Monongahela National Forest The Nature Conservancy has acquired and protected thousands of acres in the Monongahela forest. The northeast end of the Federal land at Dolly Sods is bordered by the Bear Rocks Nature Preserve, owned by The Nature Conservancy. Dolly Sods and Bear Rocks Preserve are adjoining areas of incomparable beauty that are comprised of high plateaus above 4000 ft. and steep-walled stream valleys. The area was originally covered with a thick spruce forest but was aggressively logged in the early 20th century. Today the area is dominated by broad plains covered with heath and grasses, with many bogs. Hardwoods dominate the lower elevations but the spruce forest is coming back at higher elevations. © Kent Mason

Forests keep us alive. They create cleaner water and air, jobs for more than a million Americans, and are home to two-thirds of the world’s land species.

Sixty years ago The Nature Conservancy’s first act was conserving a forest in New York; today we work with people all over the world to protect the life-giving services their forests provide.

What We Do
Features

A log yard fills a large field near the village of Long Gi, East Kalimantan. © Mark Godfrey

Our Strategies

Our goal is to support healthy forest ecosystems that sustain the needs of people and nature.

A fire team lights a restoration burn on the Dahms Tract, Platte River and Wood River area of Nebraska. © Chris Helzer

Fire as a Conservation Method

We work to restore the natural role of fire in our landscapes.

How We Work - Preventing the Spread of Invasives

Invasive Purple loosestrife on a Central Platte River sandbar, along the Dahms Tract in the Central Platte River region of Nebraska © Chris Helzer

Preventing and Containing Invasives

Today we are increasingly focused on preventing invasions before they occur.

A member of The Nature Conservancy's Southern Rockies Fire Module. © Erick Stahlin/TNC

Pop Quiz

Test your knowledge about fire and how the Conservancy uses it as a tool to help people and wildlife!

Syrup © TNC

Video: What's Bugging our Maple Syrup?

Find out why maple sugar farmers are worried about the future of maple trees.

Paul Bunyan statue in Bangor, Maine © Dennis Jarvis

Money Grows in Trees

Meet people who make a living from healthy forests.

Learn more about How We Work

Federal agencies and local groups work together to plan and implement projects on both public and private lands focusing on ecosystem restoration and wildfire risk reduction, such as prescribed burning in Hayfork’s forests.

Helping a Community Recover

Learn more about how fire is helping to revive a California community.

Florida Black Bear © Cheryl Mall

Letting Florida's Bears Lead the Way for Conservation

The Conservancy is using data from bears' tracking collars to determine the most important lands to protect.

Emerald Ash Borer © bugwood.org

Emerald Ash Borer

We're racing to save Ash Trees in America - see why.

A video produced by the Don't Move Firewood team. Photo © TNC

'I'm Worried About America's Nuts'

A serious issue prompts a hilarious misunderstanding in this video from our Don't Move Firewood team.

A Madill 071 yarder operated by B&M Logging cables logs out of the thinned forest, then the loader sorts them by species and grade. Tops and limbs are left in the forest to decompose © K. Sather/The Nature Conservancy

Selective Tree Thinning

Watch a video of a helicopter helping to thin the forest at Ellsworth Creek Preserve.

Stopping the Invasive Fire Ant in the Pacific Islands

Invasive ant species, including the red imported fire ant, have caused biological and economic damage ecosystems around the world.

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What You Can Do

Take Action to Slow the Spread of Invasives
Stopping the Spread of Invasive Species requires everyone's involvement. We have six easy steps that you can do to help make a difference.

Living With Fire: What You Can Do
Learning to live with fire requires and understanding of fire's natural role in nature. Learn more.

Forest Certification: Buy Certified Wood
Support forests that have been certified as sustainably managed by buying Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) -certified wood.

Ways of Giving to Forests