Blog
Wildlife to Spot as NYC Transitions to Winter
Forests in Cities Network Welcomes 2 Cities to National Coalition
Top 5 Natural Areas to View Fall Foliage in NYC
October 11 New York City's Climate Resiliency Efforts Testimony
Field Notes: Q&A with Intern Fadwa Yousef
Field Notes: Q&A with Intern Balsamine Chen
How forests and other urban natural areas cool our cities in extreme heat
Field Notes: Q&A with Intern Leslie Garcia
June 13 Urban Forest Master Plan testimony
Press
- NYN Media: "Opinion: Why proposed cuts to NYC’s parks would be catastrophic" November 4, 2023
- NYN Media: "Opinion: Why proposed cuts to NYC’s parks would be catastrophic" November 4, 2023
- Smart Cities Dive: "For urban cooling, forests beat street trees, landscaped parks: study" August 9, 2023
- Smart Cities Dive: "For urban cooling, forests beat street trees, landscaped parks: study" August 9, 2023
- The Brian Lehrer Show: "Election Day in Ohio; The Cooling Effects of Natural Areas; What to Do About the Cats; Who Is Kai Cenat?" August 8, 2023
- The Brian Lehrer Show: "Election Day in Ohio; The Cooling Effects of Natural Areas; What to Do About the Cats; Who Is Kai Cenat?" August 8, 2023
- City Limits: "To Beat the Heat, Cities Should Foster Forests: Study" August 2, 2023
- City Limits: "To Beat the Heat, Cities Should Foster Forests: Study" August 2, 2023
- Staten Island Advance: "Extreme heat: Staten Island among NYC spots included in ‘ground-breaking’ national study. These are the findings." July 27, 2023
- Staten Island Advance: "Extreme heat: Staten Island among NYC spots included in ‘ground-breaking’ national study. These are the findings." July 27, 2023
- The City: "How Much Hotter Is NYC’s Heat Island Effect Making Your Neighborhood?" July 26, 2023
- Staten Island Advance: "As Supreme Court decision narrows EPA authority, what’s next for New York’s wetlands?" June 29, 2023
- City Limits Opinion: In Call for Parks Funding, Natural Areas Can’t Be Neglected
- Staten Island Advance: "Who’s tending to forested areas in NYC? Report raises concerns on staffing." May 13, 2023
- Islander News: "Miami-Dade County involved in national study to fight climate change impact on island communities and urban settings." October 15, 2022
- AMNY: "NYC Parks marks Climate Week with tree canopy announcement." September 19, 2022
- PIX11: "NYC Parks Department plants thousands of trees." September 19, 2022
- Staten Island Advance: "What’s the cooling potential of trees? Study aims to quantify benefits." September 2, 2022
- City Limits: "NYC Looks to Tackle Extreme Heat via City Streets and Urban Forests." September 1, 2022
- NPR: "Your local park has a hidden talent: helping fight climate change." August 31, 2022
- WFYI: "Indianapolis one of 12 cities participating in a study looking at how parks keep urban areas cool." August 12, 2022
- ABC Action News: "Heat Waves and the Future: How cities are preparing for scorching temps." August 11, 2022.
- SI Live: "What can Staten Island do to combat worst effects of climate change? Here are 5 suggestions from experts." June 28, 2022
- WHAS11: "'Create a healthier city': Louisville Parks joins Natural Areas Conservancy network." June 14, 2022
- Popular Science: "A climate adaptation experiment is taking place in one of NYC’s biggest parks." May 23, 2022
- SI Live: "NYC Mayor Eric Adams again falls short of 1% for parks promise. Here’s what advocates have to say about it." May 2, 2022
- New York Post: "Central Park now doubles as lab to study climate change." April 27, 2022
- Reuters: "New York City's Central Park a 'lab' to study climate change." April 21, 2022
- Spectrum News NY1: "Central Park is now a lab to study climate change." April 20, 2022
- Staten Island Advance: "‘A huge win’: Freshwater wetlands protections included in N.Y. state budget, protecting over 1M acres." April 8, 2022
- Gothamist: "Central Park to launch an open-air laboratory for studying climate change." February 18, 2022
- Bloomberg CityLab: "Central Park Is Opening a Lab to Study Climate Change." January 26, 2022
- Inside Climate News: "Warming Trends: Winterless Olympics, a Disaster Novel Shows the Importance of Storytelling in Climate Conversations and a New Lab Studies Parks and Warming." January 22, 2022.
- ArchDaily: "Central Park Will Become a Hub for Climate Research." January 22, 2022
- Scientific American: "New York’s Central Park Becomes a Living Climate Laboratory." January 19, 2022
- Staten Island Advance: "Are protections for S.I. freshwater wetlands on the horizon? Experts explain Gov. Hochul’s proposal." January 16, 2022.
- City Limits: "Researchers Focus on Central Park to Study Climate Impact on Urban Green Spaces." January 14, 2022
- Yale School for the Environment: "Protecting Our Urban Parks from the Impacts of Climate Change." January 12, 2022
- The Brian Lehrer Show: "Your Bitter Cold (But Fun) Outdoor Activity Suggestions." January 7, 2022
- CNN: "New Yorkers and wildlife are finding solace in the city's parks." December 21, 2021
- Staten Island Advance: "A tale of two shores: NYC tree distribution disproportionate, first-of-its-kind study finds." November 20, 2021
- The Nature Conservancy Press Release: "The State of the Urban Forest in NYC." November 12, 2021
- The New York Times: "Eagles, Beavers, Sea Turtles: Why N.Y.C. Is Humming With Wildlife." October 28, 2021
- Staten Island Advance: "NYC mayor has endorsed wetlands framework to fight flooding — but will the next administration carry out resiliency efforts?" October 14, 2021
- Rebuild By Design: "An Anthology of Ideas after Hurricane Ida." September 21, 2021
- Scientific American: "Saving New York City’s Last Wildernesses." June 14, 2021
- Staten Island Advance: "Protecting Staten Island wetlands before they are gone forever: A look at NYC’s 30-year plan and what it means for you." July 29, 2021
- City Limits: "NYC Parks Get a Funding Boost Following Covid-Related Cuts." July 7, 2021
- NY1 (video): "Groups Working to Upgrade Hiking and Nature Trails." June 19, 2021
- The City: "NYC Park Lovers Say City Nature Trails Need More Green." June 17, 2021
- Staten Island Advance: "Plan to upgrade NYC’s trail system would see miles of improvements on Staten Island." June 20, 2021
- Untapped Cities: "New Wetlands Management Framework Announced for New York City." May 28, 2021
- Pix 11 (video): "Hiking in the Concrete Jungle." June 16, 2021
- Queens Daily Eagle: "New report outlines room for improvement on Queens’ trail network." June 16, 2021
- Queens Chronicle: "Nature trails you didn’t know existed - NAC seeks to map, maintain and unify NYC’s nature and hiking trail system." June 17, 2021
- BronxNet Open (video): On the Wetlands Management Framework. June 16, 2021
- Gothamist: "Parks Department, Conservationists Release 30-Year Plan To Protect NYC Wetlands." May 19, 2021
- WNYC Morning Edition (audio): On the Wetlands Management Framework. May 20, 2021
- WNYC All Things Considered (audio): On the Wetlands Management Framework. May 19, 2021
- BronxTimes: "Parks and Conservancy Group Release Report On Wetlands." May 25, 2021
- Pix 11 (video): "NYC Release 30 Year Plan to Protect Wetlands." May 25, 2021
- Architectural Digest: "Maya Lin’s Next Project Illuminates the Effects of Climate Change—In an NYC Park." May 17, 2021
- News12 Bronx (video and text): "Environmentalists release plan to save NYC wetlands." May 19, 2021
- Vogue: "In Maya Lin’s New Installation, a Forest Grows in Manhattan." May 10, 2021
- Time Out: "A Spectral Ghost Forest is Coming to Madison Square Park This Summer." March 31, 2021
- New York Times: "These Wetlands Helped Stop Flooding From Sandy. Now a BJ’s May Move In." October 28, 2020
- Bloomberg CityLab: "Can Planting Trees Make a City More Equitable?" August 28, 2020
- The New York Times: "Stir-Crazy New Yorkers Discovered an Idyllic Spot. Will They Trample It?" July 28, 2020
- Next City: "How COVID-19 Is Inspiring Houston Officials to Preserve Natural Areas." September 22, 2020
- Gotham Gazette: "CUNY Students Branch Out for Internship Mapping City Park Greenery." August 21, 2020
- The Architect's Newspaper: "Maya Lin’s Ghost Forest will open in Madison Square Park alongside a slew of programming" March 30, 2021
- Yale School of the Environment: "The new forestry is urban." July 1, 2020
- Time Out New York: "This interactive NYC map shows the closest bit of nature to your apartment." June 4, 2020
- City Limits: "Opinion: Now More Than Ever, NYC Needs Nature, and NYC’s Nature Needs Funding." June 2, 2020
- The Nature of Cities: "What is the status and outlook for forested natural areas in your city? What actions are needed to help them thrive?" June 1, 2020
- The Architect's Newspaper: "A hidden victim of the coronavirus pandemic? NYC’s parks." May 12, 2020
- Green Seattle Partnership: "Seattle Joins 11 American Cities to Discuss Care of City Forests." April 7, 2020
- Cities and the Environment: "The Science and Practice of Managing Forests in Cities." March 2020
- Testimony From Sarah Charlop-Powers to the New York City Council on the NYC Parks Preliminary Budget. March 13, 2020
- City Limits: "Climate Change Poses Serious Challenges for City’s Natural Areas." September 13, 2019
- America Adapts - The Climate Change Podcast: "Resilient New York: Urban Forestry, Shared Stewardship and Climate Adaptation." August 5, 2019
- Curbed: "Explore NYC’s urban wilderness with this handy map." June 27, 2019
- AM New York: "NYC battling invasive plants, bugs to save green spaces" July 16, 2019
- CBS New York: "NYC Battling Invasive Species Creeping Across City’s Parks" July 11, 2019
- Meeting of the Minds: "The Care of Forested Natural Areas in American Cities." July 2, 2019
- CBC News: "'We're losing these': Man campaigns to save native species in Toronto's ravines." June 24, 2019
- Brooklyn Paper: "Civic gurus show off renovated Marine Park hiking trail." May 21, 2019
- Brooklyn Eagle: "A new trail shows off Marine Park’s wild side." May 20, 2019
- News 12 Brooklyn: "New trail unveiled in Marine Park." May 19, 2019
- Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation: "The Forests in our Urban Backyards." April 24, 2019
- New York Daily News: "A new commitment to protect New York City’s natural spaces and resources." April 22, 2019
- News 12 The Bronx: Interview with Helen Forgione and Maggie Geenfield. April 17, 2019
- New York State Urban Forestry Council: "Report on Forested Natural Areas in American Cities." April 13, 2019
- Norwood News: "News Briefs: Bronx Parks Preservation Grant." April 11, 2019
- West Side Spirit: "Checking in on Riverside Park." April 9, 2019
- Spectrum NY1: "Why Invasive Plants are Putting the City's Forests at Risk." April 3, 2019
- Patch: "Conservancy Partnership To Benefit Riverside Park's Forest Areas." April 3, 2019
- Mother Jones: "America Has Forgotten About Its Urban Trees." April 1, 2019
- New York Times: "Defending New York City’s Forests Against Invaders." March 29, 2019
- CityLab: "America’s Management of Urban Forests Has Room for Improvement." March 25, 2019
- Canarsie Courier: "Abandoned Cars Removed from Marine Park." December 24, 2018
- The Daily Mail: "The 'Urban Forests' of New York Revealed: New Study Finds the City has Five Million Trees in 'Forested Natural Areas.'" December 7, 2018
- Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Science: "Missing the Forest for the Trees: NYC Forest Inventory Paints Unexpected Picture." December 6, 2018
- New York League of Conservation Voters: "Eighteen Groups Testify for Greater Investment in Urban Forests at Council Parks Committee Hearing." November 15, 2018
- Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Science: "Alum Introduces New Yorkers to Forest in Their Own Backyard." October 3, 2018
- The Brooklyn Daily: "Walk on the Wild Side." August 10, 2018.
- Next City: "What Cities Are Doing About the ‘Shocking’ Loss of Urban Forests." May 23, 2018
- Environmental News Network: "Fortifying the Resiliency of NYC’s Urban Forests." May 14, 2018
- WNYC: "Protecting NYC's Forests Against Climate Change" on The Brian Lehrer Show. May 11, 2018
- Metro Focus: "The Urban Jungle." May 10, 2018
- Spectrum NY 1: "Preservation Plan for NY Forests." April 20, 2018
- Forest Hills Post: "Forest Park Trust to Receive Training to Protect Park from Climate Change." April 20, 2018
- Queens Courier: "Queens’ Forest Park Trust Will Receive Innovative Resources in Ground-breaking Forest Management Plan." April 18, 2018
- Metro: "NYC Has 25-Year Plan to Protect Its forests From Climate Change." April 16, 2018
- The New York Times: "A Plan for New York City’s Forests. Yes, Forests." April 15, 2018
- The New Yorker: "Tracing (and Erasing) New York's Lines of Desire." February 20, 2017
- The New York Times: "Getting New Yorkers Into the City’s Wilderness. All 10,000 Acres of It." August 11, 2016
- NY1: "New Online Map Makes It Easier to Learn About City Green Spaces." June 24, 2016
- NY1: "Visiting a Park? Interactive Map Offers Help." June 17, 2016
- WNYC Hypothesis: "A Very Different Kind of New York City Map." June 16, 2016
- Curbed: "In a Queens Park, Reclaiming an Urban Wetland." June 9, 2016
- QNS: "Queens is home to the largest tree in a city park and some of the most diverse plant life." June 8, 2016
- DNAinfo: "MAP: Find the Wilderness in New York City." June 6, 2016
- WNYC: "The Rockaway Peninsula Isn't as Old as You Think." June 20, 2016
- Metro: "Nature in NYC is just as diverse as New Yorkers: Report." June 6, 2016
- 6sqft: "Explore Over 10,000 Acres of NYC Parkland With This Interactive Map." June 7, 2016
- Untapped Cities: "Fun Maps: Discover the Natural Parklands in all 5 Boroughs of NYC." June 6, 2016
- Newsday: "Natural Areas Conservancy puts NYC wildlife oasis on the map." June 6, 2016
- AMNY: "Nature conservancy puts NYC wildlife oasis on the map." June 6, 2016
- City Limits: "The Bronx Reclaims its River and Now a Forest, Too." April 2016
- The Observer: “Surprise, New York Turned Into One of the World’s Greenest Cities." April 2016
- Landscape Architecture Magazine: "Where the Parks Have No Names"
- Urban Omnibus: “New Yorkers of the Urban Wild." September 2015
- NY1: “Local College Students Studying Trees Impacted by Hurricane Sandy." August 2015
- Times Ledger: “Salt marsh at Alley Pond gets rehabilitation work.” June 2015
- Queens Courier: “Volunteers restore salt marshes of Alley Pond Park." June 2015
- Pipe Dream: “To keep urban space healthy, alumna stresses going green.” February 2015
- OutdoorFest: “Signs of Wildlife in New York City.” January 2015
- Columbia Spectator: “Where the Wild Things Are: Urban Ecology and the Changing Landscape of New York City.” September 2014
- USDA: “Young Scientists Network, Share Urban Research in New York City.” August 2014
- CUNY: “Biodiversity in Urban Parks: Learning from the 2013 Central Park BioBlitz.” February 2013
- Broadway World: “NYC Parks Celebrates First Year of Partnership with Natural Areas Conservancy in Tour of Pelham Bay.” October 2013
Natural Areas Conservancy Reports
- Cooling Cities: Harnessing Natural Areas to Combat Urban Heat
- Cooling Cities: Harnessing Natural Areas to Combat Urban Heat
- 2022 Annual Report
- 2022 Annual Report
- Forested Natural Areas in NYC's Parks
- Forested Natural Areas in NYC's Parks
- Funding Forested Natural Areas
- Funding Forested Natural Areas
- Ecosystem Benefits of Forested Natural Areas
- Ecosystem Benefits of Forested Natural Areas
- The Value of NYC's Forested Natural Areas
- Short Changing Forested Natural Areas
- New York City Strategic Trails Plan
- Wetlands Management Framework for New York City
- Carbon Accounting for New York City’s Natural Area Forests
- Untapped Common Ground: The Care of Forested Natural Areas in American Cities
- Forest Management Framework for New York City
- Inventory of Coastal Wetland Restoration Opportunities in NYC
- Super Steward: Trail Maintainer Handbook
- Super Steward: Trail Maintainer Volunteer Opportunities
Research and Publications
- Urban Forestry and Urban Greening: "Associations Between Recent Land Use History and Urban Forest Composition." November, 2023.
- Urban Forestry and Urban Greening: "Associations Between Recent Land Use History and Urban Forest Composition." November, 2023.
- Natural Areas Conservancy and US Forest Service: Urban Silviculture: Managing and Restoring Forests in Cities
- Natural Areas Conservancy and US Forest Service: Urban Silviculture: Managing and Restoring Forests in Cities
- Landscape and Urban Planning: "Not by trees alone: Centering community in urban forestry." April 28, 2022
- Landscape and Urban Planning: "Not by trees alone: Centering community in urban forestry." April 28, 2022
- Arboriculture & Urban Forestry: "Assessing the Potential of E-Tools for Knowledge Sharing and Stewardship of Urban Green Infrastructure." March, 2022
- Arboriculture & Urban Forestry: "Assessing the Potential of E-Tools for Knowledge Sharing and Stewardship of Urban Green Infrastructure." March, 2022
- Restoration Ecology: "Native tree seedling growth and physiology responds to variable soil conditions of urban natural areas." February 11, 2022
- Restoration Ecology: "Native tree seedling growth and physiology responds to variable soil conditions of urban natural areas." February 11, 2022
- Frontiers in Sustainable Cities: "Case Study on the Early Impacts of COVID-19 on Urban Natural Areas Across 12 American Cities" December 17, 2021
- Urban Ecosystems: "Estimating carbon storage in urban forests of New York City." October 5, 2021.
- Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment: "Advancing management of urban forested natural areas: toward an urban silviculture?" August 9, 2021
- Journal of Forestry: "Natural Area Forests in US Cities: Opportunities and Challenges." June 29, 2020
- Biological Invasions: "Invasive Lianas Are Drivers of and Passengers to Altered Soil Nutrient Availability in Urban Forests." November 19, 2019
- Environmental Research Letters. "Defining and Assessing Urban Forests to Inform Management and Policy." July 26 2019
- Ecological Applications: "A Cityscale Assessment Reveals that Native Forest Types and Overstory Species Dominate New York City Forests." December 6, 2018
- Ecosystem Health and Sustainability: 'Nitrogen Regulation by Natural Systems in “Unnatural” Landscapes: Denitrification in Ultraurban Coastal Ecosystems." October 17, 2018
- Urban Ecosystems: "Social-Ecological Research in Urban Natural Areas: An Emergent Process for Integration." May 1, 2018
- New York City Nature Goals 2050
- Forestadaptation.org: "Natural Areas Conservancy and New York City Department of Parks and Recreation: Encouraging Robust Urban Forests Through Restoration with Climate Change-Adapted Species Palettes."
- PNAS: "Urban Park Soil Microbiomes Are a Rich Reservoir of Natural Product Biosynthetic Diversity." December 20, 2016
- New York Natural Heritage Program: "Classification of Natural Areas Conservancy’s Ecological Assessment plots." June 30, 2016
- Environmental Science & Policy: "Advancing urban ecosystem governance in New York City: Shifting towards a unified perspective for conservation management." February 16, 2016
- NYC Urban Field Station: "Reading the Landscape : A Social Assessment of Parks and their Natural Areas in Jamaica Bay Communities. White Paper, Part I: Social Assessment Overview." March 2015
- NYC Urban Field Station: "Reading the Landscape: Citywide Social Assessment of New York City Parks and Natural Areas in 2013-2014 Paper No. 2." March 2016
- NYC Urban Field Station: "Reading the Landscape: Park Profiles 2013 - 2014. Social Assessment Paper No. 3."
- NYC Urban Field Station: "2014 Annual Progress Report." February 2015
- Spatial Informatics Group: "Urban ecological land-cover mapping for New York City. Final report to the Natural Areas Conservancy." October 16, 2014
- PLOS ONE: "Digging the New York City Skyline: Soil Fungal Communities in Green Roofs and City Parks." March 1, 2013
Partner Publications
NYC Parks: "Salt Marsh Restoration Monitoring Guidelines," October 2018
USDA Forest Service: "The Urban Forest of New York City," September 2018
NYC Parks: "Salt Marsh Restoration Design Guidelines," September 2018
NYC Parks: "Research Permits Report: 2017 Annual Report," July 2018
Downloadable Content
Brochure
Factoid Gallery
Public Service Announcement
(The PSA was created for the Natural Areas Conservancy by Manhattan Neighborhood Network, New York City's Community Media Station.)