Aligning City Forest Management by Engaging Community Partners in New York City

Helen M Forgione

doi:10.15365/cate.2020.130126

Abstract

New York City contains 10,000 acres of forested natural areas, 8.5 million residents, and dozens of organizations dedicated to improving the condition of natural areas. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) manages the majority 7,300-acres of natural area forests through hands-on work and contracts overseen by the Division of Forestry, Horticulture and Natural Resources. Additional capacity to manage and steward NYC Parks’ forest resources is created through nurturing community organizations by the non-profit Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC). Here I discuss how NAC’s Conservancy Engagement Program is aligning forest management under NYC’s forest management plan to care for the forest.

Highlights

New York City contains 10,000 acres of forested natural areas, 8.5 million residents, and dozens of organizations dedicated to improving the condition of natural areas
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) manages the majority 7,300-acres of natural area forests through hands-on work and contracts overseen by the Division of Forestry, Horticulture and Natural Resources
In 2014, Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC) completed an ecological assessment of 7,300 acres of natural area forests in the NYC Parks system and contracted a social assessment of parkland by United States Forest Service social scientists

Summary

INTRODUCTION

New York City contains 10,000 acres of forested natural areas, 8.5 million residents, and dozens of organizations dedicated to improving the condition of natural areas. To achieve the FMF goals, the work of all entities conducting forest management in NYC Parks, including 22 non-profit park conservancies and local community stewards, must be aligned and tracked. This effort is promoted through the NAC’s Conservancy Engagement Program. The NAC Conservancy Engagement Program is a strategy that resources non-profit practitioners and their community partners with the tools, data, analysis, and targeted recommendations needed to align and track their forest management work in the context of the citywide FMF.

APPROACH USED

KEY RESULTS