Public workshop and discussion on trees and forests in Westchester County

You are invited to a public workshop and discussion about research and community planning steps for protecting and restoring trees and forests in Westchester.  This meeting is free and open to the public and is being held on Tuesday, November 12, 2019, at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale, NY at 7:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm for an informal networking session with some of the speakers and others working on these issues in the county.

BACKGROUND

Forests, trees and other green space provide a wide range of benefits for human health, environmental quality, wildlife and quality of life, and research and planning for how to protect and maximize these benefits is important for community planning and preparing for the impacts of climate change.  Dr. Andrew Reinmann, an ecologist at the City University of New York’s Advanced Science Research Center and Hunter College who focuses on forests in urban and suburban areas, is the leader of a current research project to assess certain benefits of forests in Westchester. The project will provide recommendations on where more trees can be planted, what tree species are likely to thrive in a changing climate, and how local communities can participate in restoring forest cover in Westchester.  Local partners in this project include Westchester County and the Westchester Land Trust.

TIME & LOCATION

Tuesday, November 12, 2019, at 7:00 pm; doors open at 6:30 pm for an informal networking session.

Greenburgh Nature Center, 99 Dromore Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583

Travel directions are available at this page at the Greenburgh Nature Center website.

At the workshop on November 12, Dr. Reinmann will give an overview of his research and take questions and suggestions on how this work can be useful to municipalities and other stakeholders.  Peter McCartt, the Director of Energy Conservation and Sustainability for County Executive George Latimer, and other speakers will give updates on the county’s Climate Crisis Task Force, plans for a county-wide tree campaign in 2020, and related research and community organizing activities.  Please come and share your ideas, questions, and local knowledge about how we can work together to protect and restore forests and enhance their benefits in Westchester. The project is being implemented with a grant from the NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program to the City University of New York Research Foundation.  Thanks to the Greenburgh Nature Center for hosting this meeting

For more information on this research, visit the project page on our website.

For more information, contact Simon Gruber, the community outreach coordinator for this project, at simon.gruber@cunysustainablecities.org, or 845-534-5622.