This paper investigates how policy forums can mitigate echo chambers—environments where individuals only interact with like-minded peers—by fostering information exchange among diverse actors. Using exponential random graph models, the study analyzes network data from South African tree plantation policy discussions to assess how belief homophily (preference for similar beliefs), reputational influence, and co-participation in forums affect information sharing. The findings reveal that echo chambers significantly influence information exchange, with reputational influence often reinforcing these echo chambers. However, co-participation in multiple forums increases the likelihood of information exchange, both generally and with trusted partners. Despite this, when echo chambers are strong and forums are polarized, simply participating in more forums may not effectively dismantle these echo chambers. The study underscores that forums can facilitate both cognitive learning (knowledge acquisition) and relational learning (improved relationships), but their effectiveness is limited by the strength of existing echo chambers.