The Forest Policy Center continues the rich policy tradition of AMERICAN FORESTS as a national citizens conservation group that advocates for the restoration and maintenance of healthy forest ecosystems. We serve as a voice of moderation on forest policy issues, encouraging civil dialogue, open inclusive process, and collaborative action. We also help local partners throughout the country build capacity to participate in policy decision-making and implement innovative projects on the land.

Discussions about forest policy-the laws and regulations that guide the protection and management of our nation's forests-often take place in Washington, D.C., and are seen as the domain of politicians, lawyers, interest groups, resource managers, and scientists. American Forests' policy work is based on the principle that policy discussions should be open and accessible to a broad range of citizens in order to arrive at the best solutions. In addition, conflict over forest policy issues has stifled Congressional action in recent years and created inaction on our federal forests. The effects have been detrimental to the health of forest ecosystems and to the rural and urban communities that rely on the ecological services from those forests for their own environmental, social, and economic well being. We believe that better solutions to policy issues can be found through collaborative processes, where individuals agree to sit down together and show respect for different values and types of knowledge, rather than through purely competitive approaches.

American Forests has developed an "Ecosystem Restoration and Maintenance Agenda" that presents our core values and basic policy goals. (AF Policy Goals) The agenda integrates our interests in urban and rural areas, emphasizes the value of trees in sustaining healthy ecosystems and communities, and builds on broad-based public recognition that many public and private forestlands are in need of restoration and maintenance. We also use the agenda as the basis for our advocacy, as we provide comments, statements, or testimony on forest policy issues. Washington Outlook provides our perspectives on current issues.

We have also developed a program to help citizens and community groups participate in the forest policy process, especially at the national level. We serve as a "bridge group" by providing policy information to local partners and helping to bring their voices to forest policy discussions. We also work with these partners to share information openly with a broad range of interest groups, seeking to demonstrate a process based on mutual respect and collaboration. This approach has been welcomed by federal agencies, Congress, and many interest groups, as our local partners bring practical knowledge and new perspectives to issues, as well as a commitment to seek solutions.