>>> I'M DOUGLAS FORD FOR

METROFOCUS.

WHEN YOU THINK OF THE NEW YORK

YOU MIGHT THINK OF THE COMMUTE

OR THE SKY LINE BUT IT'S MORE TO

NEW YORK CITY THAN BROIKS AND

CONCRETE.

WE ARE SURROUNDED BY 10,000

ACRES OF FOREST LAND, MORE THAN

10 TIMES THE SIZE OF CENTRAL

PARK.

AS AN ADDED BONUS MOST OF THE

LAND IS OWNED BY THE CITY.

CONSERVATIONISTS SAY THE FOREST

IS IN BETTER HEALTH THAN

THOUGHT.

AND THAT COULD CHANGE.

AS PART OF THE MULTIPLATFORM

MULTIPERIL INITIATIVE WHICH

EXPLORES THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE

CHANGE WE LOOK AT AFFECT AND OUR

AREA AND THE CONSERVATIONISTS

FIGHTING FOR THE FUTURE OF THE

FOREST.

>> MORE THAN 500 TREES WERE LOST

IN HURRICANE SANDY, TREES LIKE

100 YEARS OLD.

>> THE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE

CHANGE A AREN'T HAPPENING HERE

IN NEW YORK CITY AND RESHAPING

THE FORESTS.

>> IT'S A HUGE PART OF OUR

EFFORT, THE STORM THAT I

MENTIONED HURRICANE SANDY, YOU

SEE MORE AND MORE OF THOSE,

QUICK, DEVASTATING STORMS AND

THE IMPACT IS TREMENDOUS

ESPECIALLY IN THE WOODLANDS.

WHAT HAPPENS IS WE LOSE SEVERAL

MATURE TREES, OPENING UP THE

CANOPY.

ALLOWS FOR INVASIVE SPECIES TO

TAKE OVER.

IT'S A CONSTANT PROCESS OF

REBUILDING RESTORING, REJUF

NATION.

WE ARE ACTIVELY EVERY DAY

LOOKING TO BOLSTER THE FOREST

DEAL WITH THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE

CHANGE.

IT'S A BIG PASTOR WORK THE

LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT AND NATURAL

RESOURCES GROUP IS DEALING WITH.

>> CONSERVATIONIST SOUND THE

ALARM CLIMATE CHANGE IS HERE AND

COMBATTING THE EFFECTS IS A

PRIORITY.

THAT'S THE BAD NEWS.

GOOD NEWS, THE CITY PARKS ARE IN

EXCELLENT SHAPE NOW BUT THAT

COULD CHANGE.

>> SO IN SOME WAYS WE'RE A

SITUATION SIMILAR TO SUBWAYS TWO

DECADES AGO WHEN THINGS RAN ON

TIME.

AND PERHAPS IF WE MADE MORE OF

AN INVESTMENT THEN WE WOULD HAVE

BEEN A ABLE TO BY PASS SOME OF

THE CHALLENGES HAPPENING NOW.

WE ARE HOPING INVESTMENT IN

FORESTS TODAY HELP US MAINTAIN

GOOD HEALTH

>> CONSERVATIONISTS ARE UNDER

YOU CAN SOUNDING THE ALARM.

THE PRIORITY HAS TO BE

COMBATTING CLIMATE CHANGE.

THE GOOD NEWS THE CITY PARKS ARE

IN EXCELLENT SHAPE NOW BUT THAT

COULD CHANGE.

>> NEW YORK CITY SITS RIGHT AT

THE INTERSECTION OF THE

MID-ATLANTIC AND NEW ENGLAND.

AND WE'RE EXPERIENCING THE

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE HERE

MORE QUICKLY THAN SOME OF OUR

SURROUNDING AREAS.

WE'RE VERY INTERESTED IN

THINKING ABOUT HOW -- WHAT GROWS

HERE WILL SHIFT OVER TIME AND

WE'VE BEEN DOING A PROJECT

LOOKING AT THE TREES AND SHRUBS

THAT SURVIVE IN NEW YORK CITY

AND WHAT'S LIKELY TO SURVIVE IN

THE NEXT 50 TO 100 YEARS.

AND SHIFTING SOME OF WHAT GETS

PLANTED

>> CERTAIN PLANT SPECIES ARE

PREDICTED TO DO WELL OR HOLD

THEIR OWN.

OTHERS ARE PREDICTED NOT DO

WELL.

FOR EXAMPLE, SUGAR MAPLE IS

PREDICTED TO NOT DO WELL AS

CLIMATE CHANGE CONTINUES THE WAY

IT'S GOING.

AND WE THINK THAT THE NATURAL

RANGE OF THIS TREE IS GOING TO

RECEDE NORTH.

>> MOST OF THE OAK AND HICKORY

SPECIES ARE PREDICTED TO HANDLE

IT WELL.

>> THAT INFORMATION CAME FROM A

STUDY FROM THE NATURAL AREA

CONSERVECY AND NEW YORK CITY

PARKS DEPARTMENT AND PART OF A

LARGER PLAN TO HARDEN THE CITY

FOREST AND PARKLAND AGAINST THE

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

IT'S DUBBED THE FOREST

MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR NEW

YORK CITY.

THE REPORT SAYS $385 MILLION

WILL BE NEEDED OVER THE NEXT 25

YEARS TO KEEP THE FOREST IN GOOD

HEALTH.

.

FOR BRESKT ALBANY PROOFED NEARLY

$1.0 BILLION TO FIX THE SUBWAYS

IN ONE YEAR.

>> I CAN'T UNDERESTIMATE THE

NEED FOR PAID STAFF.

WORKING WITH PAID STAFF WHO CAN

PUT IN FULL WORKDAYS AND CAN

REALLY LOG AND MAINTAIN KIND OF

RECORDS OF HOW SITES ARE

CHANGING OVER TIME IS EXTREMELY

CRUCIAL.

>> THE PARK ALLIANCE IN BROOKLYN

AND THE FOREST PARK TRUST IN

QUEENS ARE TWO OF DOZENS OF

NON-PLOFT BROSTING HELPING TO

MAINTAIN THE PARKS AND FORESTS,

ALSO THE FIRST TO BEGIN ON WORK

ON MORE DETAILED DATA COLLECTION

THROUGH THE PROGRAM.

>> WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND

WE'LL BE ABLE TO UTILIZE SOME OF

THE LONG-TERM DATA THAT HAS BEEN

COLLECTED REGARDING FORESTRY

MANAGEMENT IN NEW YORK CITY.

AND THIS WILL REALLY BETTER

ENABLE US TO INTEGRATE WITH KIND

OF NEW YORK CITYWIDE MANAGEMENT

PLAN OF FOREST RESTORATION,

INVASIVE REMOVAL, DEALING WITH

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE, ET

CETERA.

>> REMOVAL OF INVASIVE PLANTS IS

MENTIONED QUIT A BIT.

THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S A CRITICAL

PART OF KEEPING THE FOREST

HEALTHY.

BECAUSE IN NATURE IT'S LIFE AND

DEATH AND INVASIVE PLANTS ARE

BETTER THAN OTHERS AS INCREASING

CHANCE FOR SURVIVAL.

>> IT GROWS QUICKLY.

IT STARTS COMING UP BEFORE OTHER

PLANTS COME UP AND SHADES THEM

OUT.

IN THE GUYS OF GARLIC MUSTARD

AND CERTAIN ONES IT CAN A PATHIC

WHERE IT'S POISONING THE GROUND

AROUND IT TO KEEP OTHER PLANTS

AWAY.

AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU GET IS

LEFT UNCHECKED YOU'LL GET A

FIELD OF GARLIC MUSTARD WHICH

YOU KNOW WILL OUTCOMPETE, YOU

KNOW, DOZENS OF SPECIES OF

NATIVE PLANTS.

>> THE WORK TO MAINTAIN THE

FOREST IS ALSO FOR NEW YORKERS

QUALITY OF LIFE.

THE TREES AND PARKS PROVIDE THE

CITY WITH FRESH HAIR AND KEEP

TEMPERATURES LOWER IN THE

SWELTERRING HEAT.

BUT IT'S ALSO A PLACE OF FRUM.

HALF OF THOSE SURVEY SURVEYED IN

THE REPORT SAYS THEIR EXPERIENCE

WITH NATURE A HAPPENS NO NEW

YORK CITY PARKS.

>> THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE OF

PLAYING SPORTS, SPENDING TIME

OUTSIDE, TAKING A HIKE WITH THE

FAMILY, ALL OF THIS ACTIVITY IS

HAPPENING IN THE LOCAL PARKS OR

THEY'RE NOT HAPPENING AT ALL.

SO WE KNOW THAT SPENDING TIME IN

NATURE IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR

PEOPLE.

IT'S GOOD FOR COMMUNITIES.

IT'S GREAT FOR KIDS.

AND HAVING THESE OPPORTUNITIES

NOT JUST IN NATURE BUT IT'S

HELPING BEAUTIFUL SPECTACULAR

NATURE IN THE URBAN CONTEXT IS

SO IMPORTANT.