American cities face a gap of more than 500 million trees, with the greatest shortages concentrated in neighborhoods already disproportionately affected by extreme heat, pollution and flooding. Yet urban forests are still too often treated as amenities rather than essential infrastructure.
American Forests created the Catalyst Initiative to help close that gap, and needed to shift the conversation around what urban forestry makes possible. The objective of this multimedia campaign was to position Tree Equity as a critical investment in healthier, more resilient and more economically vibrant cities, while increasing visibility for the local organizations leading that work.
The campaign was designed to reach two audiences at once: funders and civic decision-makers capable of directing large-scale investment, and community-based organizations seeking support for their own efforts. By elevating frontline voices from four cities and equipping partners with adaptable storytelling tools, the campaign aimed to turn urban forestry from an underfunded local concern into a shared national imperative.
he campaign was built around a simple strategic idea: to change how people value urban trees, show them who is already using trees to solve urgent urban problems.
The hero film followed nonprofit leaders and community partners in four cities supported by American Forests. Their stories demonstrated that tree planting and canopy expansion are not abstract environmental ambitions; they create cooler neighborhoods, reduce exposure to pollution and flooding, strengthen public health and create pathways to local jobs and investment.
To extend the film’s usefulness beyond a single screening, the campaign included:
A long-form magazine article providing additional context and depth
Short-form social content designed to introduce the issue to broader audiences
Customizable branded graphics distributed to partner organizations
Assets that local groups could use in their own communications and fundraising efforts
A deep library of imagery for future American Forests storytelling – over 600 images and 10 hours of b-roll footage.
This modular approach allowed the campaign to function in both high-level and community settings.
The result was a campaign designed not simply to tell people about Tree Equity, but to give more people the language, evidence and stories to advocate for it.
The hero film became a high-level advocacy tool for American Forests, used in conferences, leadership convenings and private presentations with funders and civic decision-makers throughout 2026 to persuade influential stakeholders that trees belong in conversations about climate resilience, public health, workforce development and urban infrastructure.
The campaign also amplified the visibility of four local organizations – Louisiana Green Corps (New Orleans), Unlimited Potential (Phoenix), City of Goshen Department of Environmental Resilience (Goshen, IN), and Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (Atlanta) – who used the partner-ready content in their own communications and fundraising.
This extended the work beyond American Forests’ owned channels and enabled the organizations featured in the film to become active messengers for Tree Equity within their own communities and networks.