Welcome to MillionTreesNYC Research. In addition to citywide tree plantings, volunteer engagements, and public programs, studying the effects of increasing tree canopy on urban ecosystems and various related fields is essential to our mission. The MillionTreesNYC Advisory Board Research & Evaluation Subcommittee works to coordinate efforts between researchers and policymakers towards a better understanding of New York City's natural environment.

MillionTreesNYC, Green Infrastructure, and Urban Ecology:
A Research Symposium

March 5th and 6th, 2010
New York City

Thanks a million to all those who participated in our 2010 Research Symposium! The New School venue was filled to capacity as over 200 researchers, practitioners, and environmental enthusiasts took in presentations on subjects ranging from assessing large-scale reforestation efforts to stormwater management to green roof hydration. An extensive poster session offered attendees insight into the latest developments in urban ecological research. Special thanks to our seven invited speakers whose presentations offered insight into ecological projects taking place in Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Phoenix, Stockholm, and New York City.

NEXT STEPS

In order to continue the momentum initiated by our spring 2009 Research Workshop and March 2010 Symposium, we will be posting presentation, visual, and audio content from the event soon. Please stay tuned as we update the page with content from the highly successful research event!

We'd also like to encourage all presenters to submit to Cities And The Environment (CATE) Journal. CATE will be putting out a special online edition of their publication which will reflect the contributions from our Symposium.

Instructions for CATE submissions (PDF, 206 kb)

Executive Summary from our Spring 2009 Research Workshop

The Spring 2009 workshop "MillionTreesNYC, Green Infrastructure, and Urban Ecology: Building a Research Agenda" brought together more than 100 researchers, practitioners and New York City policymakers to collaboratively develop a research agenda to support the management, practice and rationale for MillionTreesNYC and to contribute to the accumulating knowledge on the socio-ecology of urban landscapes and green infrastructure. The workshop was organized by the Research & Evaluation Subcommittee, a component of the MillionTreesNYC Advisory Board. Workshop activities included prepared presentations by NYC officials, USDA Forest Service scientists, and university researchers; site visits to a variety of MillionTreesNYC planting sites; and a two-day workshop consisting of dialog within and among discussion groups. The discussion groups were categorized into eleven topic areas:

• Ecosystem Services: Local Air Quality and Urban Heat Island
• Ecosystem Services: Water Quality, Storm Water Management
• Economic Impacts: Quantifying Returns on Investment
• Education
• Human Health and Well-Being
• Stewardship and Management
• Green Jobs & Social Justice
• Reforestation Dynamics and Forest Health
• Biodiversity and Ecological Communities
• Green Infrastructure
• Implications of Scale

These eleven topics span an enormous range of intellectual and natural resources management activity and show how broadly the MillionTreesNYC campaign touches the population, the economy, institutions and built environment of New York City. The workshop is intended to be the first step in a broader process of integration between researchers and practitioners working to understand and improve New York’s environment and green infrastructure.

View the full Spring 2009 Research Workshop Report (PDF, 826 KB)