(More) trees
grow in Brooklyn
How the boro’s tree canopy has changed
and what it means for Brooklyn’s future
INSIDE
Your entertainment
guide Page 31
Police Blotter ..........................8
Shop Local ............................. 17
Opinion ...................................28
HOW TO REACH US
COURIER L 4 IFE, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 2021
BY BEN VERDE
Brooklyn’s urban forest
saw growth during the 2010s,
part of a citywide trend, but
researchers say those gains
are threatened by climate
change and need investment
to be maintained.
A new study from the Nature
Conservancy follows the
growth of New York City’s
tree canopy between 2010 and
2017, which saw Brooklyn increase
its overall tree canopy
by 1.91 percent — but not
without some persistent challenges.
Wealthier neighborhoods
have traditionally been
graced with greater tree coverage,
which brings with it
benefi ts of cleaner air, cooler
temperatures, and absorption
of storm waters, while
under-resourced areas have
traditionally been deprived.
Data from the study shows
that wealthier, whiter neighborhoods
still have the upper
hand, but progress is being
made to bridge the gap
— thanks in part to community
level programs like the
Trees for Public Health Initiative
and Cool Neighborhoods
NYC.
“Both of those initiatives
were by their design timebound,
but they are really
great examples of the kind of
initiatives that the city can
keep investing in, and perhaps
invest in a longer term
way in order to continue to
expand canopy in lower-income
communities of color,”
said Emily Nobel Maxwell,
director of the Nature Conservancy’s
cities program in
New York and co-author of
the study.
According to the study, the
tree canopy in the 41st Council
District including parts of
Crown Heights and Brownsville
increased from 283.8
acres in 2010 to 329.5 acres in
2017, while the 42nd Council
District encompassing East
New York saw an increase
from 463.8 acres to 582.9 over
the same period.
More well-off neighborhoods
have also continued to
grow their canopies: The 39th
Council District which covers
Park Slope, Cobble Hill, and
Windsor Terrace grew from
657.77 acres to 729.9 acres between
2010 and 2017.
According to another coauthor
of the study, many of
those newly planted trees are
still young and small plantings,
meaning their impact
on canopy growth will take
a number of years to be fully
realized.
“The trees that have been
planted in a lot of these areas
that have seen this new
growth tend to take a long
time for us to see the full benefi
ts,” said Mike Treglia, lead
scientist at the Nature Conservancy’s
cities program.
“Just because these trees were
planted in the last 10 to 15
years and we are seeing this
really important and valuable
growth, doesn’t mean we
are where we need to be.”
Maintenance of existing
trees is just as important as
the addition of new ones, according
to Treglia.
“We need to see those trees
stewarded, and kept up, and
(Clockwise from top left) Trees in Prospect Park, Bedford–Stuyvesant,
Fort Greene, and Gowanus. File photos
Mail:
Courier Life,
1 Metrotech Center North
3rd Floor, Brooklyn,
N.Y. 11201
General Phone:
(718) 260-2500
News Fax:
(718) 260-2592
News E-Mail:
editorial@schnepsmedia.com
Display Ad Phone:
(718) 260-8302
Display Ad E-Mail:
rdonofrio@schnepsmedia.com
Display Ad Fax:
(718) 260-2579
Classified Phone:
(718) 260-2555
Classified Fax:
(718) 260-2549
Classified E-Mail:
classified@schnepsmedia.com
BROOKLYN GRAPHIC (ISSN 0740-2260) Copyright © 2021 by the Brooklyn Courier Life LLC is published weekly by Brooklyn Courier Life LLC, One Metrotech North, 10th floor Brooklyn, NY 11201. 52 times a year. Business and
Editorial Offices: One Metrotech North, 10th floor Brooklyn, NY 11201. Accounting and Circulation Offices: Brooklyn Courier Life LLC, One Metrotech North, 3rd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Call 718-260-2500 to subscribe. Periodicals
postage prices is paid at Brooklyn, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Brooklyn Graphic, One Metrotech North, 10th floor Brooklyn, NY 11201. This newspaper is not responsible for typographical errors in ads
beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2021 by Brooklyn Courier Life LLC. The content of this newspaper is protected by Federal copyright law. This newspaper, its advertisements,
articles and photographs may not be reproduced, either in whole or part, without permission in writing from the publisher except brief portions for purposes of review or commentary consistent with the law.
link
link
link
link
link
link