Leadership
Meet Pete Nelson
Pete Nelson has spent more than 25 years working at the intersection of forest science, federal policy, and conservation — from site-level restoration forestry in the Pacific Northwest to the development and implementation of national forest programs, laws, and regulations.
He founded Overstory Strategies in 2021 after 13 years as Federal Lands Program Director at a leading national conservation organization, where he built and led an interdisciplinary policy team focused on national forest and public lands issues. Under his leadership the program became recognized by policymakers, congressional staff, and partners across the political spectrum as a credible and effective voice in Forest Service policy affairs.
Pete's work spans old forest conservation, climate resilience, carbon stewardship, wildlife habitat, tribal partnerships, and watershed protection. He has served on two federal advisory committees — appointed by USDA Secretary Vilsack to the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest Management Act Planning Rule, and by Governor Bullock to the Montana Forest Action Advisory Council.
At Overstory Strategies, Pete works with a diverse range of clients — including under active contract with the USDA Forest Service, where he provides forest structure analysis, management coordination, and policy support. He also serves conservation organizations, tribal nations, and philanthropic funders navigating the complex policy landscape of national forest and public lands management.
Pete is also developing a new generation of AI-powered policy intelligence tools that make federal docket analysis and scientific literature more accessible to practitioners and advocates — bringing modern data capabilities to the work of forest policy.