Brooklyn Botanic Garden staff will be mapping and measuring around 5,000 trees to create a detailed management plan, thanks to a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The department announced Friday the garden would receive $48,660 to complete a Tree Inventory and Management Plan for approximately 5,000 trees at the garden.
The grant comes from DEC's Urban and Community Forestry Program. The program is aimed at increasing public awareness of the importance of trees and helping communities develop and implement comprehensive tree management plans to create healthy forests and enhance quality of life for residents.
BBG was one of 38 urban forestry projects across the state to receive a grant from a $1.4 million fund set up to help communities inventory, plant and maintain public trees.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden President Adrian Benepe said some of the garden's trees had been there since it opened in 1910.
"As we confront the reality of climate change's impact on trees and plants—knowing the critical role trees themselves play in mitigating the impacts of climate change—the DEC grant will help us develop and maintain critical baseline information on our living collections so we can keep them growing for the next 100 years," Benepe said.
The new tree inventory will expand the garden's data on approximately 5,000 trees across 52 acres, BBG said in a press release. The project will be completed over two years by outside consultants and will support training for BBG's arborists.
The grant will allow to expansion of current data, to include the size, shape, and condition of individual trees. Findings will inform a five-year community forest management plan and long-term tree care at the garden.
