American Forest Foundation

The American Forest Foundation (AFF) is a conversation organization. According to its website, the AFF "is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was chartered in 1981 with the purpose of encouraging the long-term sustainability of America's forests, restoring wildlife habitat, and developing quality environmental education programs, to assure that Americans today, and in the future, enjoy healthy, growing forests."

Overview
AFF is committed to creating a future where North American forests are sustained by the public that understand and values the social, economic, and environmental benefits they provide to our communities, our nation, and the world.

The American Forest Foundation has a list of co-sponsors, cooperators and coalition partners that includes logging and timber interests such as Sierra Pacific, Pacific Lumber, MacMillian Bloedel, Williamette Industries and Boise Cascade.

Project Learning Tree
One of AFF's core programs is Project Learning Tree, which "works to promote paper products, logging and industrial management of our nation's forests. They offer this version of 'environmental education' to students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade and reach more than 500,000 educators and 25 million students." PLT began in 1976.

Wants change to estate tax for family-owned forests
AFF supports bill S. 3664 which would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exempt certain farmland from the estate tax, and for other purposes. AFF says "Around the country, families are facing the prospect of having to sell off their forests in order to pay estate taxes. Too often, the land is developed and our forests are lost for good."

Personnel

 * Tom Martin, President & Chief Executive Officer
 * Kathy McGlauflin, Senior Vice President
 * Rita Neznek, Vice President, Public Policy
 * Rachel Bayer, Manager, Education & Network Partnerships, Project Learning Tree

Board of Trustees:
 * Clint Bentz, (Chair) Certified Public Accountant, CMA, Boldt, Carlisle & Smith, LLC
 * Connie Best, (Vice Chair) Managing Director, The Pacific Forest Trust
 * Kenneth Stewart, (Treasurer) Commissioner, Georgia Department of Economic Development
 * Shorna Broussard Allred Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University
 * James M. Branson, SVP, Timberlands, Weyerhaeuser Company

Contact details
1111 Nineteenth Street, NW, Suite 780 Washington, D.C. 20036 Phone: 202-463-2462 Fax: 202-463-2461 Email: info AT forestfoundation.org Web: http://www.affoundation.org

Related SourceWatch articles

 * John A. Luke, Jr., Trustee
 * Norman L. Christensen, Jr., Trustee
 * Thomas M. Lindquist

External articles

 * "OSU Receives Grant from American Forest Foundation to Address Transfer of Family Forests", Oregon State University, March 12, 2009.