Black Forest, a leading candy and snack brand inspired by real forests, is continuing its ongoing efforts to replant forests across America. Together with the National Forest Foundation, the only organization dedicated to conversation efforts in our National Forests, Black Forest will donate over $500,000 in 2020 to help plant 1.5 million trees across U.S. forests that have been impacted by wildfires by the end of 2022.

In celebration of National Love a Tree Day on May 16, Black Forest is inviting fans to continue supporting the cause by building the first-ever Virtual National Forest on Instagram. Now through June 30, fans can help rebuild U.S. forests from home by simply uploading a new photo or commenting on any photo of a tree on their social channels using the emoji hashtag #🐻❤️🌲, and their contribution will be added to the Virtual National Forest. Users can access the Virtual National Forest by searching the bear-heart-tree hashtag on Instagram. For every hashtag used during this time, Black Forest will donate $1 (up to $50,000) to the cause, in addition to its $500,000 donation in 2020. Black Forest has also canceled its TV advertising campaign and is instead donating that production budget to the important cause.

As a brand, Black Forest celebrates what’s real – from our ingredients to our partners and the forests that we’re helping to rebuild. Forests are part of our brand’s founding story, namesake and core mission, and we are thrilled to continue our partnership with the National Forest Foundation to ensure our forests will be here for future generations to enjoy. With the Bear Heart Tree campaign, we’re excited to give fans a fun way to get involved in our mission from the comfort and safety of their homes.

Kate Adams, Brand Marketing Director of Black Forest at Ferrara.

To further grow the Virtual National Forest, Black Forest has partnered with more than 20 nature enthusiasts across the country, who share the brand’s passion for exploring and experiencing the outdoors to upload their photos which began on Arbor Day (April 24). On National Love a Tree Day, they will champion the cause by encouraging fans to help grow the Virtual National Forest and, in turn, rebuild our nation’s real forests. Fans can also spot the #🐻❤️🌲 hashtag and National Forest Foundation logo on Black Forest’s gummy bear packaging as a call to consumers to support the cause.

This year marks a continuation of Black Forest’s 2019 commitment to the NFF when the brand donated $100,000 to plant 100,000 trees across U.S. National Forests impacted by wildfires. Together, Black Forest and the National Forest Foundation are on a mission to create a beautiful mosaic of trees and nature photos fans can enjoy, share and celebrate online in anticipation of the 1.5 million new trees to be planted in the near future.

“We believe our National Forests are important because these lands are an American treasure and are vital to the health of our communities. They provide places for families to connect and rediscover nature,” said Mary Mitsos, National Forest Foundation President & CEO. “Through our partnership with Black Forest, we are doing just that—planting trees to strengthen forests, so that communities can create more memories outside with nature.” Reforestation projects supported by this partnership are coordinated through the U.S. Forest Service, which assists in planting native trees through a time tested, science-based approach.

To learn more about the Black Forest #🐻❤️🌲 campaign and to get involved, visit BlackForestUSA.com and follow @BlackForestUSA on Instagram and Facebook.

About Black Forest

Black Forest Gummies and Fruit Snacks are Real Juicy Real Good!™ They contain thoughtful ingredients for thoughtful snacking. Black Forest is one of the few confectionary brands that offers both conventional and USDA-Certified organic gummies and fruit snacks. Made with real fruit juice and colors added from real sources, Black Forest gummies are fat-free, gluten-free, non-GMO and full of juicy flavor. Each gummy bear has a tree stamped on its belly, a characteristic unique to the Black Forest brand, making them as cute as they are delicious. Black Forest products can be found at mass, grocery, drug, warehouse clubs and convenience retailers nationwide, and are available in a variety of sizes ranging from 1.5oz bags to 6lb bags.

About Ferrara

Ferrara, a related company of The Ferrero Group, is an industry leader in U.S. confections and one of the fastest growing confections companies in the country. A passionate team of more than 4,000 employees work together to share delight in every bite through leading brands that have shaped the confections market for more than 100 years. Our diverse portfolio of nearly 35 brands includes SweeTARTS®, Trolli®, Brach’s®, Black Forest®, Butterfinger®, CRUNCH®, Laffy Taffy® and NERDS®, along with iconic favorites like Lemonhead®, Red Hots® and Now and Later®. Headquartered in Chicago, the company has an operational network of manufacturing, distribution and R&D facilities across North America. Learn more at www.ferrarausa.com.