The forest sector has the science, the ambition, and the people. Forests Plus is where they connect.

About

The U.S. forest sector is full of people doing consequential work. Scientists mapping restoration opportunity. Investors looking for projects worth backing. Policymakers building the frameworks that make action possible. Land managers doing the work on the ground. What they share is a commitment to forests. What they too rarely share is a common direction.

Forests Plus brings the sector together around a shared agenda for conservation and restoration at scale.

Convened by American Forests and serving as the U.S. Chapter of the World Economic Forum’s 1t.org initiative, Forests Plus works across nonprofits, companies, governments, tribes, and communities to strengthen the conditions for forest conservation and restoration at scale. We do not run programs. We build the alignment, relationships, and shared infrastructure that make everyone’s programs more effective.

Meet Our Team

Kevin O’Hara

Executive Director

Kevin has spent more than two decades building the coalitions and campaigns that move conservation and public lands policy forward. At the National Recreation and Park Association, he helped protect $4.4 billion in annual federal funding for parks and recreation agencies, built the Park Champion advocacy program from zero to more than 500 participants, and led the 10-minute walk to a park campaign — a national effort that brought cities, nonprofits, and the federal government together around a shared standard for park access. He has worked across the Department of Interior, USDA, EPA, and HUD, and has spent his career finding the leverage points where government, philanthropy, and the private sector can move in the same direction.

Julie Foster

Director of Strategy

Julie Foster is Director of Strategy for Forests Plus at American Forests, where she leads partnerships and stakeholder engagement for a multi-sector coalition advancing forest restoration and nature-based solutions. She has built the program largely from the ground up, designing the partnerships, business models, and enabling conditions that turn climate ambition into durable, measurable outcomes. She is known for building and leading the teams that move this work forward, and for bringing modern tools to systems that have long needed them. Previously she supported the global leadership team at The Nature Conservancy across philanthropy, science, and policy. She grew up in Northern California and lives in the Greater Boston area.