A Historic Investment in the Future of French Park
$1.8 million gift launches the largest forest restoration effort in Cincinnati Parks in nearly a century.
Walk into French Park and it doesn’t take long to feel far away from the city.
Across 282 acres, wooded trails wind through streams, meadows and mature forest, creating one of Cincinnati Parks’ most treasured natural spaces. Now a historic gift will help protect that landscape for generations to come, while creating a model for conservation across the entire park system.
The Cincinnati Parks Foundation, Cincinnati Parks and Mayor Aftab Pureval recently announced a $1.8 million anonymous donation to support a comprehensive restoration of French Park’s forest, the largest conservation-focused gift in Cincinnati Parks Foundation history.
The five-year initiative will restore and protect more than 200 acres of forest through invasive species removal, native tree and shrub planting, trail improvements and long-term woodland stewardship.
It represents the largest forest renewal effort undertaken by Cincinnati Parks since the creation of Mt. Airy Forest in the 1930s.
“This extraordinary gift is a powerful example of what philanthropy can make possible in our parks,” said Cincinnati Parks Foundation President + CEO Jennifer Hafner Spieser. “It allows for us to care for French Park on a scale that will transform this natural space for generations to come. We are deeply grateful to this donor for sharing our vision that investing in conservation today creates a lasting legacy for our community.”
Restoring the Forest
French Park includes 228 acres of forest, but like many urban woodlands, its ecosystem faces a growing challenge: invasive species.
Invasive plants can spread quicky, crowding out native vegetation, limiting the growth of young trees and reducing the biodiversity that birds, pollinators and other wildlife depend on.
Restoring a forest is about much more than removing unwanted plants. It means giving native species the opportunity to thrive again and creating the conditions for a healthier forest to naturally regenerate over time.
Work has already begun.
Earlier this year, with initial support from the anonymous donor, Cincinnati Parks began clearing invasive species from a 22-acres section of French Park. That work builds upon years of dedicated stewardship by Friends of French Park volunteers, who participate in Cincinnati Parks’ Conservation Stewards program and have worked tirelessly to clear invasive growth, care for the forest and repair hiking trails.
The new investment dramatically expands what is possible.
Over the next three years, invasive species management will extend throughout the parks’ forested acreage. As areas are cleared, Cincinnati Parks staff and community volunteers will work together to plant native trees and shrubs, provide ongoing stewardship and restore trails.
The result will be a healthier forest and an even better experience for the people who come to French Park to walk, hike, explore and reconnect with nature.
“There’s nothing quite like a hike through the woods. It makes you feel like a kid again,” said Cincinnati Parks Director Jason Barron. “This donation is a game change. We are going to completely restore these woods to the way they ought to be. And we won’t stop there. In partnership with our friends at the Parks Foundation, we are going to make this a model for forests across the city.”
Investing in People, Too
One of the most significant aspects of the gift reaches beyond the trees themselves.
The donation will fully fund a dedicated Natural Resource Specialist for five years to oversee the restoration effort and help ensure the work continues long after the initial clearing is complete.
French Park will also become a living conservation laboratory where Cincinnati Parks and its partners can evaluate restoration techniques, learn from the project and establish best practices that can be ultimately applied to forests throughout the Cincinnati Park system.
Growing Conservation Across Cincinnati Parks
The French Park announcement also marks the launch of the Cincinnati Parks Foundation Conservation Fund, an ambitious campaign to raise an additional $2 million over the next five years for conservation and forest restoration throughout Cincinnati Parks.
The Conservation Fund will support work including:
Invasive species management
Native tree and habitat restoration
Woodland stewardship
Ecological education
Long-term protection of Cincinnati’s urban forests
Cincinnati Parks are places to gather, play and explore. They are also living ecosystems that clean our air, provide wildlife habitat, manage stormwater, cool our neighborhoods and give people places to experience nature close to home.
Protecting them request sustained investment and long-term care.
Mayor Aftab Pureval noted that these natural spaces are among the city’s most valuable public assets, contributing to healthier, more vibrant and connected communities and creating places where families can experience nature together.
At French Park, that investment is already taking root.
And as the lessons learned there spread across the Cincinnati Parks system, this historic gift as the potential to benefit not just one forest, but also Cincinnati’s urban tree canopy.
Help Protect Cincinnati’s Urban Forests
The restoration of French Park shows what is possible when philanthropy, professional expertise and dedicated community stewardship come together.
Now, we have an opportunity to build on that momentum.
Support the Cincinnati Parks Foundation’s Conservation Fund and help restore native habitats, strengthen our urban forests and protect the natural spaces that Cincinnati loves for generations to come.