Mission: Our mission is to grow a healthier world.



Vision: Our vision is to have healthy forest ecosystems for every community.



Strategy: Our strategy for achieving the mission is to provide action opportunities to targeted audiences to enable them to improve their environment with trees. We do this by using the best science to identify conservation issues, then develop and market practical solutions that individuals and groups can apply. American Forests' targeted audiences are individuals, community groups, government at all levels, educators, and businesses.



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 (americanforests.org) is the nation’s oldest nonprofit citizens’ conservation organization. Citizens concerned about the waste and abuse of the nation’s forests founded American Forests in 1875. The organization is proud of its historic roots in the development of America’s conservation movement and proud of the new approaches the organization has developed to help people improve the environment in the 21st Century. American Forests’ Ecosystem Restoration and Maintenance Agenda presents our core values and seeks to build support for our policy goals. These goals focus on assisting communities in planning and implementing tree and forest actions to restore and maintain healthy ecosystems and communities. We also work with community-based forestry partners in both urban and rural areas to help them participate in national forest policy discussions. American Forests seeks to broaden awareness of the interdependence of communities and forests through our policy and communication activities with local partners.



The roots of our work at American Forest are deep in the communities we serve all over America. Whether it is planting trees to restore ecosystems damaged by wildfire, working with cities to reverse the decline in urban tree cover or instituting a Living Classroom project at a local school everything we do is community based. American Forests is a leading proponent of community-based forestry in the United States, providing workshops; publications and other resources to help people in communities use their resources in exciting new ways.



American Forests is about action and that is the focus of our major campaigns. 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.