Arbor Day Foundation Receives 2026 SFI CEO Award for Outstanding Partnership and Leadership in Forestry

Press Release

May 5, 2026

Montréal, QC — Kathy Abusow, CEO of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI), recently announced the Arbor Day Foundation as the recipient of the 2026 SFI CEO Award. Arbor Day Foundation CEO Dan Lambe accepted the award on behalf of the organization during the 2026 Annual SFI Conference.

The SFI CEO Award is presented annually to individuals or organizations demonstrating outstanding partnership and leadership in forestry. The Arbor Day Foundation has strengthened corporate engagement in sustainable forestry and large-scale reforestation by helping businesses and brands create positive, measurable impact through trees. Additionally, the Foundation has championed SFI’s urban forestry, nature-based education, and Indigenous lands initiatives.

“The Arbor Day Foundation truly exemplifies what it means to be a leader in forest-focused collaboration. Their team brings expertise, credibility, and national context to both large-scale reforestation and urban forestry projects,” said Kathy Abusow, CEO of SFI. “With a shared focus on trees, the Arbor Day Foundation is a natural partner for SFI, helping elevate the importance of forest ecosystem services such as water quality, biodiversity, and carbon storage. The Foundation’s work reflects a deep commitment to collaboration and a shared vision for healthy forests, resilient landscapes, and thriving people.”

“The Arbor Day Foundation’s partnership with SFI is delivering real results for people and the planet — from helping corporate leaders go above and beyond to restore ecosystems, to creating meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities to inspiring the next generation of tree planters,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “We’re honored to receive this award and look forward to continuing our collaboration with SFI.”

As Chair of the SFI Board of Directors, Lambe has been instrumental in advancing SFI’s 2025-2030 Strategic Direction, which emphasizes using SFI programs to advance community priorities and deepen collaboration with Indigenous Peoples. Under Lambe’s leadership, the Arbor Day Foundation and SFI have partnered to support food sovereignty initiatives, Tribal leadership, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, workforce development, and increased access to trees and food across Tribal lands.

The Arbor Day Foundation has also played a critical role in SFI’s environmental education initiative, Project Learning Tree (PLT) by supporting the PLT Education Operating Committee and provided strategic leadership for environmental education programming. Recently, the Arbor Day Foundation hosted the PLT Annual Conference and 50 Year Celebration at the Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, where Lambe addressed educators and partners from across the U.S. and several other countries.

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