Our Third Century of Influence - American Forests, periodical - Brief Article

American Forests, Autumn, 2000 by Deborah Gangloff

AMERICAN FORESTS celebrates 125 years of advocating for trees and forests-and the people who care for them.

It is no coincidence that the first national nonprofit conservation organization in the United States, AMERICAN FORESTS, was devoted to trees and forests. Just as nonprofit organizations are indicators of the health of a society, trees are indicators of the health of the environment and the quality of people's lives. DC Mayor Anthony Williams said it best: "If we can't take care of our trees, how can the people of the city expect us to take care of them?"

Throughout history, the rise of the nonprofit sector has paralleled the rise of democratic societies. When the Soviet Union broke apart 10 years ago, AMERICAN FORESTS welcomed brand new nonprofit partners from Ukraine and Hungary, places where there never had been a nonprofit or independent sector. It is one of our greatest sources of pride that the first nonprofit groups in these countries formed around AMERICAN FORESTS' Global ReLeaf campaign.

Nonprofits aren't trying to make money, they're trying to make change, and because of that, they play a critical role in society. As Laurence Rockefeller once said, "some things are too important for business or government." Nonprofits change public policy, which in turn changes government. Government adjusts to respond to new policies. Nonprofits also change public opinion, which effects a change in industry.

But more than anything else, nonprofits must he relevant. If we do not make sense in today's world, we cease to exist. AMERICAN FORESTS has stayed relevant because trees and the challenges of ensuring healthy forests are as important today as they were 125 years ago. Threats to the health of world forests are increasing, with more and more people relying on less and less (and less healthy) forest land. But as the threats increase, our knowledge of the values of forests has grown exponentially. AMERICAN FORESTS has stayed relevant by showing how the values trees and forests provide can help address the needs of today's society.

Scientific research and public surveys show that the top environmental issues are the need for clean air and water. Trees are the most cost-effective "devices" to clean air of pollutants, including carbon dioxide and particulate matter, and water of urban storm flow and agricultural pollutants, as well as prevent soil erosion. And trees provide tangential benefits--wildlife habitat, wood products, and beauty, for instance (see "A Perilous Flight," page 32, and "On the Last of 9 Lives," page 38). The trees where we live reflect the health of the city and offer a way to improve urban ecologies (see "Picture This," page 50). Urban forest researchers are studying how trees affect human health and help counteract domestic violence and crime, further extending the relevancy of trees to city dwellers.

When AMERICAN FORESTS was created by a small group of concerned citizens--doctors, lawyers, nurserymen--our forests faced the dual threats of being wasted by wildfire and abused by lack of management (see "A Thee-Lined Memory Lane," page 24). The issues have changed because of our advanced knowledge. But the threats of waste and abuse persist.

Wildfires still plague the land, but we have learned that fire is a natural ingredient for healthy forests. We have always advocated forest management, and now we better understand how healthy ecosystems provide billions of dollars in conservation work for people. Humans have a symbiotic relationship with trees. We breathe in oxygen and exhale [CO.sub.2]. Trees breathe in the [CO.sub.2] and exhale the oxygen. We cannot live without each other. It doesn't get any more relevant than that.