American Forests
Encyclopedia
American Forests is a 501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring healthy forest ecosystems. Their stated mission is to "grow a healthier world with trees". The organization was established in 1875 as the American Forestry Association by physician and horticulturist John Aston Warder
and a group of like-minded citizens in Chicago
. During the administration of President Calvin Coolidge
, the organization donated the first living national Christmas tree for the White House, a Norway spruce
.
Since 1940 the organization has maintained the National Register of Big Trees
, a list of the National Champion Trees in the United States. It also maintains a website Historic Trees Nursery that propagates and sells offspring of trees of historic interest, in categories including Presidents, American Revolution, Women, Civil War, African Americans, Native Americans, Veterans, Country Music Artists, Authors, Inventors, and trees of regional significance.
American Forests' programs include Forest Policy, Urban Ecosystems, and Global ReLeaf, the organization's tree-planting arm. The organization has a goal to plant 100 million trees by 2020. They seek to achieve this through the Global ReLeaf program, where every $1 donated plants a tree for ecosystem restoration. While the majority of Global ReLeaf projects are in the United States, Global ReLeaf International projects plant trees in countries worldwide.
John Aston Warder
John Aston Warder was a physician, influential leader in the fields of horticulture and forestry, and founder of the American Forestry Association. He was among the first to propose the planting of belts of trees on the great western plains.-External resources: *. Peeling Back the Bark, the...
and a group of like-minded citizens in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. During the administration of President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
, the organization donated the first living national Christmas tree for the White House, a Norway spruce
Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
.
Since 1940 the organization has maintained the National Register of Big Trees
National Register of Big Trees
The National Register of Big Trees is a list of the largest living specimens of each tree variety found in the continental United States. A tree on this list is often called a National Champion Tree....
, a list of the National Champion Trees in the United States. It also maintains a website Historic Trees Nursery that propagates and sells offspring of trees of historic interest, in categories including Presidents, American Revolution, Women, Civil War, African Americans, Native Americans, Veterans, Country Music Artists, Authors, Inventors, and trees of regional significance.
American Forests' programs include Forest Policy, Urban Ecosystems, and Global ReLeaf, the organization's tree-planting arm. The organization has a goal to plant 100 million trees by 2020. They seek to achieve this through the Global ReLeaf program, where every $1 donated plants a tree for ecosystem restoration. While the majority of Global ReLeaf projects are in the United States, Global ReLeaf International projects plant trees in countries worldwide.
External links
- American Forests
- Historic Trees Nursery
- Inventory of the American Forestry Association Records, 1875 - 1997, in the Forest History SocietyForest History SocietyThe Forest History Society is an American non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of forest and conservation history. The society was established in 1946 and incorporated in 1955....
Library and Archives, Durham, NC