Israel Golden is a reforestation and climate adaptation specialist at American Forests, where he leads efforts to identify and support underserved landowners with reforestation opportunities. Golden collaborates with state agencies, Tribal Nations, and external partners to design geospatial frameworks and deploy tools that enhance outreach to communities with reforestation and afforestation potential. In addition to advancing equitable forest restoration, Golden provides expert guidance on climate adaptation strategies, helping American Forests and its partners integrate resilience frameworks into field projects, from climate vulnerability assessments to adaptive species selection and reforestation planning.

Before joining American Forests, Golden managed carbon projects and climate resilience initiatives in the timber investment space, where he led forest adaptation planning to mitigate climate-related risks. He also contributed to statewide conservation initiatives as part of Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, developing online geospatial tools to support conservation decision-making. Golden holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and master’s degrees in Environmental Management and Forestry from Duke University. In his free time, Israel enjoys books, bicycling, and bluegrass.