Stihl to Provide $120,000 in Grants to America’s State Parks         

Stihl has announced the expansion of the Hearts of Stihl program, its initiative to care for the environment through the preservation of U.S. state parks.

The 2022 Hearts of Stihl program will provide a $20,000 grant to a park in each of six regions – the Northwest, North-Central, Central, Southwest, Northeast and Southeast – for a total of $120,000. The grants will be managed by the America’s State Parks Foundation, and parks can apply for funds to help projects related to sustainability, recovery, conservation, or environmental education programs.

“For more than 15 years, Stihl has been privileged to support America’s State Parks and this program allows us to expand our efforts to help in the conservation and care of these national treasures,” says Roger Phelps, Stihl Inc. corporate communications manager. “Hearts of Stihl is a natural extension of the Stihl commitment to caring for our environment and making it easier for people to work in and with nature.”

Last year, the 2021 Hearts of Stihl program focused on the planting of 2,021 trees in two western state parks in response to the devastating effects of the 2020 wildfires. The project included men and women of the Oregon and California State Parks; tree felling and training by professional arborist and Stihl Inc. spokesperson Mark Chisholm; director of conservation for the MeatEater group Ryan Callaghan; and Chuck Leavell, musical director for the Rolling Stones, award-winning tree farmer, conservationist and producer of the PBS television program “America’s Forests with Chuck Leavell.”

For more than a decade Stihl has been a sponsor of the National Association of State Park Directors Leadership School, providing scholarships for park personnel to attend.

“Stihl Inc. is a longtime supporter of the America’s State Parks, and we are eager to grow our relationship and offer grant funding to the state parks that need it most,” says Lewis Ledford, executive director at National Association of State Parks Directors. “The funding and resources awarded will have a direct impact on the care and preservation of our state parks and it is our hope these efforts will inspire a new generation to appreciate the great outdoors.”

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