Wash Heights, Inwood Gained Most Tree Coverage In Borough: Study

UPPER MANHATTAN, NY — If Washington Heights and Inwood are looking greener these days than in the past, you aren't imagining it. The Upper Manhattan community has had the overall largest increase in tree coverage of any in the borough in recent years, according to a new study.

The first-of-its-kind report by the Nature Conservancy used three-dimensional imaging research done by the city to map the amount of land covered by overhead tree canopy. It found that between 2010 and 2017, New York's tree coverage grew by more than 3,200 acres, or about 1.7 percent.

Broken down by neighborhood, the biggest overall increase in Manhattan happened in Washington Heights and Inwood's Community District 12, where tree coverage grew overall by 58 acres — a net increase of 3.25 percent.

In fact, Upper Manhattan leads the borough in most tree-related statistics.

In 2010, Community District 12 (Washington Heights + Inwood) had 523 acres of tree canopy, which grew to 581 acres of tree coverage by 2017 — both the most in Manhattan.

During the period, the two neighborhoods in the Community District lost 36 acres of tree coverage but gained 94 acres.

Its 3.25 percent increase in tree coverage was second only to Central Harlem — which saw its tree coverage grow by 4.2 percent from 2010 to 2017.

• Read More: Harlem Gained More Tree Coverage Than Any NYC Neighborhood: Study

Washington Heights and Inwood leading the borough in tree growth isn't surprising given the number of major parks in the two neighborhoods.

Those uptown green spaces include the Hudson River Greenway, Riverbank State Park, Fort Washington Park, J. Hood Wright Park, Highbridge Park, Fort Tryon Park, Isham Park, and the particularly expansive Inwood Hill Park.

Multiple tree-planting initiatives have also taken place in Upper Manhattan over the past decade, including along Audubon Avenue and in Highbridge Park.

Trees play a key role in urban equity, helping to lower temperatures, convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and absorb rainwater, researchers told THE CITY, which first reported on the study.

Mapping current tree coverage can help the city protect and improve it in the future — especially in low-income neighborhoods where vegetation is harder to find, they said.

Not all neighborhoods were as fortunate as Washington Heights and Inwood.

Waterfront areas of Southern Brooklyn and Queens, like Coney Island, Canarsie and the Rockaways, lost much of their tree canopies during those eight years due to flooding from Superstorm Sandy.

Another notable area that lost trees in that span: Central Park, which experienced a 2.9 percent drop in its canopy coverage, amounting to a net loss of 25 acres.

A spokesperson for the Central Park Conservancy told Patch that the loss could be attributed to extreme weather — including Sandy, the 2011 Halloween snowstorm and Hurricane Irene.

Invasive species have also played a role, like the Emerald ash borer, which threatens the park's ash trees; and Dutch elm disease, which is caused by a fungus and spread by beetles.

"Central Park's tree canopy is healthy and well cared for by the Central Park Conservancy's tree care team," said spokesperson Arica VanBoxtel, adding that New Yorkers could help the park stay healthy by staying on walking paths and not stepping on exposed tree roots.

Read the full "Future Forest NYC" study at the Nature Conservancy website.

Patch reporter Nick Garber contributed to this report.