American Forests' founder John Aston Warder.

For over 125 years, American Forests has been the 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. John Aston Warder, a physician and horticulturist, and a group of citizens concerned about the waste and abuse of our nation's treasured forests founded American Forests in 1875. American Forests is the leading force in forest conservation. We stand for healthy forest ecosystems and for healthy communities. American Forests employs the best science to influence good public policy and develop action-oriented programs for forest conservation. Our programs focus citizens on tree planting and management for healthy forest ecosystems in rural and urban areas.

To help our members become more involved in American Forests' projects, we created the Sustaining Donor Circles. Our Sustaining Donors will enable American Forests to help people improve the environment with trees and forests, thereby providing a healthier world for future generations. Sustaining Donor Members play an essential role in perpetuating American Forests' conservation efforts. American Forests invites those individuals who share our commitment to trees and the environment to join one of our three Sustaining Donor Circles to ensure the future of American Forests.

Poplar Circle
$1,000 to $2,499
Poplar Circle Members receive the following benefits:

• Special mention in the Annual Report and in American Forests magazine
• Quarterly letter from the Executive Director
• Invitations to all special events
• A signed copy of our book, America's Famous and Historic Trees by Jeff Meyer
• A National Register of Big Trees Calendar
• 1 Historic Tree of your choice
• 1 gift membership (each membership is for a one-year term)

Sycamore Circle
$2,500 to $4,999
Sycamore Circle Members receive all of the above benefits as well as:

• One complimentary registration for the 2003 National Urban Forest Conference and Banquet
• 1 additional Historic Tree of your choice
• 2 additional gift memberships (each membership is for a one-year term)

Oak Circle
$5,000 and above
Oak Circle Members receive all of the above benefits as well as:

• Voting rights to designate sustaining funds to a Global ReLeaf tree planting project
• Invitation to a meeting with a Board Member and the Executive Director to discuss American Forests' strategic direction
• 1 additional registration for the 2003 National Urban Forest Conference and Banquet
• 2 additional Historic Trees of your choice
• 2 additional gift memberships (each membership is for a one-year term)

American Forests is the nation's oldest nonprofit citizen conservation organization, founded in 1875. Our vigorous advocacy created the forest conservation movement and the national park and forest systems. We advocate the benefits of both rural and urban trees, good science, and sound forest policy. American Forests plants millions of trees each year through our Global ReLeaf and Wildfire ReLeaf campaigns. Our goal is to restore damaged forest ecosystems, planting the right trees in the right places for the right reasons.

We have accomplished a great deal in our history. But there is so much more to be done to protect our forests. Please consider becoming a Sustaining Donor Member. Your support will enable us to continue our conservation mission for the restoration of trees and forests.

By becoming a Sustaining Donor, you're helping American Forests continue its long history of addressing the problems of human-caused and natural changes on our forest ecosystems. In September 2002, the American Forests' Global ReLeaf program reached its goal of planting more than 20 million trees to restore and regenerate forest ecosystems in need. Although we are proud of this accomplishment, we will not rest on our laurels. Every year, millions of forested acres are lost and damaged by wildfire, illegal logging, desease, and urban sprawl. This is only the beginning. Now more than ever, the future health of our planet rests on the decisions we make.

For more information on our sustaining donor program, please call American Forests' Development Department at (202)955-4500 or e-mail info@amfor.org.

The history of American Forests has celebrated many notable successes:

1875 Founded in Chicago by John Aston Warder, a Cincinnati physician
1882 First tree planting was held in Eden Park, Cincinnati
1890 Advocated for forest reserves
1905 Convinced Congress to create agencies for forest management staffed by professionals
1939 Developed the Civilian Conservation Corps with Franklin D. Roosevelt
1940 Established the National Register of Big Trees
1950's Conducted national wildfire protection campaigns
1975 Celebrated 100 years of forest legacy
1982 Launched Urban Forestry program
1986 Launched the Famous & Historic Trees project
1988 Introduced Global ReLeaf, tree planting for environmental restoration
1999 Planted 10 millionth Global ReLeaf tree
2000 Launched Wildfire ReLeaf, restoring land damaged by catastrophic wildfires
2002 Reached Global ReLeaf goal: Planted 20 millionth tree to restore damaged forest ecosystems