Forest for All NYC is a cross-sector coalition created to bring a shared vision, plan, and more champions to protect and grow New York City's urban forest. Everyone in New York City deserves equitable access to trees and their many benefits to human health and well-being.
![[image:] cover from MillionTreesNYC: the intergration of research and practice](/nyc/local-resources/images/cover_2014_mtnyc_pub.jpg)
Forest Ecology and Management
One of New York City’s PlaNYC initiatives, MillionTreesNYC is a public-private program with the ambitious goal of planting and caring for one million new trees over by 2017. By growing the urban forest, the City hopes to reduce air pollution, cool temperatures and help advance long term sustainability. As part of this initiative, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is planting 220,000 new street trees, aiming to fill city sidewalks with an urban forest. Much of the remaining planting goal will be met through large reforestation efforts on the City’s 11,000 acres of natural areas, while other trees and forests will be planted on a variety of public and private properties throughout the City.
The Urban Field Station has supported that effort by:
- Analyzing Urban Tree Canopy and developing tree planting prioritization models in support of the city’s effort to increase tree canopy citywide. Analysis of 2006 data determined that New York City had 24% canopy cover citywide, a finding that informed the city’s effort to increase the urban forest.
- Assessing the mortality and health of urban street trees and forests throughout the City, finding that land use, stewardship, and tree pit size are important factors in street tree success.
- Exploring the dynamic connections among stewardship, land cover, and ecosystem services in New York City’s Urban Forest through an NSF-funded ULTRA-Ex grant.
- Helping to build the next generation of urban forestry professionals and environmental stewards through environmental literacy and green jobs programs.
- Investigating the potential of phytotechnologies to improve urban fill soil on afforestation sites.
- Participating in the MillionTreesNYC Research and Evaluation sub-committee
- Developing and implementing methods to assess urban tree health
- Identifying best practices for urban forest restoration
Research Products
Simmons, Brady L.; Hallett, Richard A.; Sonti, Nancy Falxa; Auyeung, D.S.N.; Lu, Jacqueline W.T. 2016. Long-term outcomes of forest restoration in an urban park. Restoration Ecology. 24(1): 109-118.
Campbell, Lindsay K. 2014. Constructing New York City's urban forest. The politics and governance of the MillionTreesNYC campaign
Grove, J. Morgan; Locke, Dexter H.; O'Neil-Dunne, Jarlath P.M.. 2014. An ecology of prestige in New York City: Examining the relationships among population density, socio-economic status, group identity, and residential canopy cover
Locke, Dexter H.; King, Kristen L.; Svendsen, Erika S.; Campbell, Lindsay K.; Small, Christopher; Sonti, Nancy F.; Fisher, Dana R.; Lu, Jacqueline W.T.. 2014. Urban environmental stewardship and changes in vegetative cover and building footprint in New York City neighborhoods (2000-2010)
Zalesny, Ronald S.; Hallett, Richard A.; Falxa-Raymond, Nancy; Wiese, Adam H.; Birr, Bruce A.. 2014. Propagating native Salicaceae for afforestation and restoration in New York City's five boroughs
King, Kristen L.; Locke, Dexter H. 2013. A comparison of three methods for measuring local urban tree canopy cover. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry. 39(2): 62-67.
Locke, Dexter; Grove, J. Morgan; Lu, Jacqueline W.T.; Troy, Austin; O'Neil-Dunne, Jarlath P.M.; Beck, Brian. 2010. Prioritizing preferable locations for increasing urban tree canopy in New York City. Cities and the Environment 3(1):18 p.
Lu, Jacqueline W.T.; Svendsen, Erika S.; Campbell, Lindsay K.; Greenfeld, Jennifer; Braden, Jessie; King, Kristen; Falxa-Raymond, Nancy. 2010. Biological, social, and urban design factors affecting young street tree mortality in New York City. Cities and the Environment. 3(1): 1-15.
Maddox, David, comp. ed. 2010. Supporting success: Making the transition to green collar jobs. New York, NY: MilliontreesNYC. 24 p. Unpublished report.
MillionTreesNYC, Green Infrastructure, and Urban Ecology: A Research Symposium. 2010. Special Issue of Cities and the Environment (CATE).
MillionTreesNYC Advisory Board Research & Evaluation Subcommittee. 2009. MillionTreesNYC, Green Infrastructure, and Urban Ecology: Building a Research Agenda. Report from the May 2009 Research Workshop
Campbell, Lindsay. 2008. Bronx Youth Urban Forestry Empowerment Program Evaluation.
Nowak, David J.; Hoehn, Robert E., III; Crane, Daniel E.; Stevens, Jack C.; Walton, Jeffrey T.. 2007. Assessing urban forest effects and values, New York City's urban forest. Resour. Bull. NRS-9. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 22 p.
Grove, J. Morgan; O'Neil-Dunne, Jarlath; Pelletier, Keith; Nowak, David; Walton, Jeff. 2006. A Report on New York City's Present and Possible Urban Tree Canopy.
Pouyat, Richard V.; Carreiro, Margaret M.. 2003. Controls on mass loss and nitrogen dynamics of oak leaf litter along an urban-rural land-use gradient
Nowak, David J.; Crane, Daniel E.; Stevens, Jack C.; Ibarra, Myriam. 2002. Brooklyn's urban forest. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-290. Newtown Square, PA: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 107 p.
Pouyat, Richard V.. 2001. Short- and long-term effects of site factors on net N-mineralization and nitrification rates along an urban-rural gradient
Pouyat, R. V.; Groffman, P. M.; Carreiro, M. M.; Bohlen, P.; Parmelee, R. W. 1996. Temperature and earthworm effects on C and N dynamics in oak stands along an urban-rural land use gradient.
Urban Forestry Bibliography- The Urban Forestry Bibliography is a comprehensive list of peer reviewed resources on urban forestry and natural resource management. Download in EndNote or pdf