The Trust For Governors Island Awarded Competitive Urban And Community Forestry Grant By The State Of New York

The Trust for Governors Island announced today that it was awarded an Urban and Community Forestry Grant by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation through the Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program. This grant will support the completion of an Island-wide Tree Inventory and the installation of a Community Forest Management Plan on Governors Island, including the hiring of a Certified Arborist. Effectively managing the collection of both historic and new trees is critical to creating a healthy, functioning, climate resilient ecosystem on the Island that will survive-and thrive-for years to come.

"We are excited for this opportunity to further enhance the community of trees, both old and new, on the Island," said Clare Newman, President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island. "Governors Island is uniquely situated as a very different kind of urban forest, and we are energized by the commitment to promoting this critical ecological research-our trees as an integral part of our city's ecosystem, our visitors' experience and our ongoing response to climate change."

"These trees provide essential shade for visitors, habitat for wildlife and the opportunity for guests to be immersed in nature while still in New York City," said Andi Pettis, Director of Horticulture at the Trust for Governors Island. "This planning opportunity will allow us to effectively manage this collection of trees to ensure that a healthy, vibrant forest will thrive on Governors Island far into the future."

Governors Island is home to a unique population of more than 3,500 trees, which includes species that are rare to the New York City area alongside trees that have been growing on the Island for decades. Many are an experiment unto themselves: more than 2,000 trees have been planted as a part of unique climate research, giving valuable feedback on what types of species have the potential to thrive in New York City's changing climate.

The completion of the Governors Island Tree Inventory and Forestry Management Plan is beneficial to all members of the Governors Island community-from visitors, to programmers, to vendors to event producers. The Trust aims to publicize these projects in partnership with the Friends of Governors Island through an awareness campaign which will include blog posts, a community tree planting event and a final public presentation.

Through this project, the Trust will contract with a certified International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) arborist and tree care professional to complete an Island-wide inventory of trees and, based on those findings, develop a Forest Management Plan with both the ecosystem and community in mind. The Trust for Governors Island has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for qualified respondents who are interested in this project. To view the RFP, please visit govisland.org.