Happy Earth Day from the Heartland

Kansas City’s Heart Forest, the world’s largest heart-shaped forest of nearly 2,000 trees planted in 1990, has been undergoing a restoration initiative led by the Foundation for Regeneration. Located near the Kansas City International (KCI) Airport, the Heart Forest can be spotted by visitors flying above as a welcome greeting from the Heartland.

Bob Berkebile, BNIM founding principal and co-founder of the Foundation for Regeneration, Brian Weinberg, director of the Foundation for Regeneration, and Ryan Evans, BNIM engineering consultant and Heart Forest project manager, have played an integral role in organizing restoration efforts.

The Heart Forest began with an idea shared by Dr. Robert Muller, former United Nations official, at “The Future is Now” World Peace Celebration in 1987. ^[1] The meeting was attended by civic and community leaders, including Iroquois Chief Leon Shenandoah, who shared his sentiments of the heartland:

“My energy grows, my mind settles, and my heart smiles; for here, in the Heart of America, the people care for one another and their Earth.”

– Chief Leon Shenandoah, visiting Kansas City in 1987

Following “The Future in Now” meeting, Bob Berkebile explored and studied options for the Heart Forest in Kansas City before proposing a spot near KCI Airport. He brought the idea to AIA Kansas City, and the first planting event of Heart Forest was organized in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Earth Week. A group of 200 volunteers gathered on April 28, 1990, to plant 2,000 saplings provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation — planting the roots of the Heart Forest. ^[1]

Over the last three decades, the tree saplings have grown to be 50-feet tall and to produce approximately 24 tons of oxygen annually. Today, Bob with the Foundation for Regeneration, in partnership with JE Dunn and community volunteers, are leading restoration efforts to help revive the forest’s heart shape and expand opportunities for visitors to experience the forest through walking pathways and gathering spaces. ^[2]

Learn more about opportunities to volunteer and participate in the Heart Forest’s restoration here.

Sources:

Header Image courtesy of the Heart Forest, photo by Jodi Vander Woude and Michelle Miller
^[1] A Brief History of The Heart Forest
^[2] Startland News