Janis Buffham doesn’t own forest land and in fact has never even visited a family-owned forest. (She hopes to remedy that sometime in the not-too-distant future). But Buffham does understand the important role that woodlands play in the ecosystem, and the critical need for financial resources to support the work that goes toward protecting and preserving them. That’s why she began making a monthly donation to the American Forest Foundation (AFF) in 2019.

Buffham’s regular donations have made her a founding member of the Giving Tree, a new program that recognizes the people who have pledged a monthly gift to AFF.

“The Giving Tree is a group of monthly givers dedicated to overcoming our most pressing conservation challenges by supporting the American Forest Foundation and family forest landowners,” said Bethany Mueller, CFRE, AFF’s Manager for Western Strategic Partnerships. “Janis and other members of the Giving Tree are a critical element to creating a steady, reliable source of funds to make this work possible.”

Supporting America’s Forests

Buffham became interested in forests after her book club selected “Caravans” by James Michener for one of its discussions. One of its main characters is a young engineer from Afghanistan who is trying to help his country solve its flooding and erosion problems. He found that indiscriminate goat herding over many decades had led to the disappearance of the country's forests. The engineer eventually came to the U.S. to study what was causing the disappearance of its forests.

“In the 1940s, the general idea was that it had been the indiscriminate harvesting of what seemed like an unlimited supply of wood that had devastated a serious percentage of American forests,” said Buffham.

“This all made me curious, and I wondered how much forest we had started with. How much forest do we have now? And who is taking care of American forests now?” she added. “When I started Googling this, the American Forest Foundation came up as one of the organizations that is really proactive about protecting, maintaining and improving the quality of American forests.”

Buffham checked out AFF on Charity Navigator, the country’s largest and most used evaluator of charities. (AFF has earned a five-star rating from the site, with a 100% score for accountability and transparency.) “They had an excellent score, and that’s always reassuring; I thought ‘They are being responsible with their money,’” she said. “So I felt good about that, and I started giving. Now they send me their quarterly magazine, and I’m learning more about the amazing efforts that they put forward to try to protect and improve the quality of American forests.

“Three years later, I still feel really good about contributing to that effort,” she added.

Buffam’s monthly contributions are part of her commitment to give more than 10% of her time and more than 10% of her income to something outside of herself. “I try to do something for my community, for my country and for the world,” she explained. The monthly donation to AFF is what she is doing for her country. Buffham is particularly interested in the work that AFF is doing to help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in California, where she now lives. She also enjoys the articles in Woodland magazine about the forest health initiatives, such as efforts to control tree diseases.

Why would Buffham encourage others to make a recurring monthly gift to AFF? “The feel-good factor is there. And I think the gifts help AFF innovate in order to deliver meaningful conservation impact,” she said.

Tackling Tough Challenges Together

Mueller, who is helping steward and grow the Giving Tree, said that AFF is grateful to Buffham for her continuing monthly contribution. She hopes that many others will follow her example.

“Because of the generosity of individuals like Janis, we are decreasing carbon in our atmosphere, cleaning our air and water, protecting wildlife habitat, supporting rural communities, providing sustainable wood supplies, mitigating wildfires and supporting local economies,” she explained.

When people make a recurring monthly gift and become part of the Giving Tree, they are joining with others to help create a meaningful and sustaining impact on all of these challenges. “Every time the vital contributions of family forest owners and their forests are valued and supported, we get one step closer to making that future a reality,” Mueller added. “That’s only possible through the generous support of individuals like Janis. These are complex challenges that can’t be solved by any single person acting in isolation.”

You can make an even greater impact by joining the Giving Tree. If you would like to set up your monthly donation, visit www.forestfoundation.org/aff-monthly-giving or call us at (508) 713-6009 ext. 4886. You can cancel or change your pledge any time you wish simply by notifying AFF.

 This piece was originally published in AFF's quarterly magazine, Woodland Magazine.