American Forests
The nation’s oldest nonprofit citizens’ conservation organization, American Forests is a world leader in planting trees for environmental restoration, a pioneer in the science and practice of urban forestry, and a primary communicator of the benefits of trees and forests.

American Forests was founded in 1875 by physician/horticulturist John Aston Warder during a meeting with a small group of like-minded citizens. Originally called the American Forestry Association, the group had as its goal the "protection of the existing forests of the country from unnecessary waste." Forest historian Henry Clepper called the birth of American Forests, which turned 125 on September 10, 2000, "a turning point in history. It inaugurated the conservation movement." At the time there were no national or state forests, no American forestry schools or professional foresters, and little policy overseeing our most vital natural resource.

Since then, American Forests has worked with millions of citizens, hundreds of members of congress, and numerous celebrities. Today, the organization's primary campaigns are "Tree-Planting for Environmental Restoration" and "Reversing the National Urban Tree Deficit," which encourage people to improve rural, suburban, and urban ecosystems by planting and caring for trees that provide important environmental and economic benefits including pure water, clean air, and wildlife habitat.

American Forests Campaigns:
* Global ReLeaf is American Forests' education and action program that helps individuals, organizations, agencies, and corporations improve the local and global environment by planting and caring for trees.
* Wildfire ReLeaf is a national campaign that works to restore ecosystems through tree plantings; explain and promote community-based forestry and strategies; and to serve as a clearinghouse of information on wildfire
* Global ReLeaf2 Campaign is focused on the current global warming problem which requires a doubling of efforts to reduce rising global temperatures. The goal is to plant 100 million trees by the year 2020. Restoring the life-giving ecosystem services produced by forests, helps prevent the loss of more trees.

American Forests’ Resources include:
* The National Register of Big Trees featuring the largest known specimens of 826 native and naturalized trees in the United States,
* Urban Forests which measures a region’s or city's tree canopy and calculates its dollar worth.
* Forest Policy Center continues the rich policy tradition of American as a national citizens conservation group that advocates for the restoration and maintenance of healthy forest ecosystems.
* Sprawl Information - American Forests has spent over 20 years researching the condition of our urban and suburban forests.
* Historic Tree Nursery - nationally recognized as the innovator in the propagation of authentic historic trees.
* Environmental Education - Trees provide many environmental health benefits. Using GIS (Geographic Information System) software and CITYgreen, students can calculate the benefits of their community trees.
* Resources for Kids – The American Forests website is an educational and entertaining interactive site that uses cartoon characters to focus on trees for kids pre-k-6th grade with lesson plans for teachers and conservation activities for families.

Dr. Deborah Gangloff, Executive Director of American Forests was a featured guest on Champagne Sundays’ Online Radio Show. This show was a special Eco & Environment show that aired live on April 6th, 2008. To listen to the entire, unedited show, click here. To Listen to Deborah’s Interview, please Double Click the Play Button below.


 

Dr. Deborah Gangloff has been Executive Director of American Forests since June of 1996.  She served as Vice President for Program Services from 1990 until 1996, Director of Communications from 1987 to 1990, and Conservation Programs Manager from 1982 to 1987. Dr. Gangloff received her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Rutgers University. As a social scientist, she is interested in how people interact with the environment—the “people side” of natural resource management.