The southern forests stretch from east Texas to Virginia and from Kentucky to Florida. Covering more than 200 million acres, they are among the most biologically diverse forests in the world. Approximately one million acres are lost each year.

In 2009, the World Resource Institute (WRI) and Toyota launched Southern Forests for the Future to raise awareness of the threats facing southern U.S. forests and increase the amount of forest managed in a sustainable manner.

Southern Forests for the Future is a project aimed at raising awareness about the southern forests, their benefits to people and the challenges they face; increasing the acreage that is conserved or sustainably managed; and developing and piloting a portfolio of economic incentives that align with forest stewardship.

The program’s new interactive website uses time lapsed maps and the most current data to educate everyone on both the history and the current state of the southern forests.