Brown-Forman Works with The Nature Conservancy to Restore Native Vegetation
Partners in Responsibility: 2015-2016 Corporate Responsibility Report
In 2014 and 2015, Brown-Forman continued its longstanding partnership with The Nature Conservancy of Kentucky (TNC). The local pond at our 100-acre Woodford Reserve Distillery is more than just beautiful scenery. It serve an important firefighting water supply, but recent hot summers and decreasing water quality had led to high growth of algae, creating safety concerns.
In partnership with TNC we launched a multi-year restoration project replanting the area along the creekbed upstream from the pond with native vegetation like Virginia wild rye, and wildflowers like purple cone flower and blackeyed Susan to attract pollinators. The restoration project
also includes native trees and shrubs, including the white oak that we use to make the barrels to age our bourbon (see A Long Term Perspective on White Oak).
The native plants act as a natural stormwater filter by preventing pollutants from entering the stream, an important ecosystem service in this agricultural region, improving water quality both in the pond and further downstream.
