Treeside Manner

Central Park, with its 26,000 trees, has been called the heart and lungs of New York City.  What’s the best way to mind such vital organs? The Conservancy’s Tree Care Crew prunes, monitors, and protects our trees from the stresses of the urban environment.

In order to care for our trees in the most effective manner, the Central Park Conservancy recently contracted the Davey Resource Group to conduct a comprehensive inventory of the Park’s trees. 

The inventory is being prepared by a team of certified arborists who use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to record the location and specific attributes (species, size, height, and approximate age) of all trees larger than six inches in diameter.  The inventory will be completed in March.  The Conservancy will then implement a software application that retains the long-term history and maintenance records of individual trees.  Conservancy staff will regularly update this detailed database.

By creating these maintenance records, the Conservancy can assess the needs of individual trees.  We can also track Dutch elm disease and other tree conditions, and easily locate new planting opportunities.

How you benefit from Central Park’s trees: The trees absorb carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the air, release fresh oxygen, protect the water supply, absorb noise pollution, and reduce energy use by regulating surrounding temperatures.

From newly planted saplings to centennial trees, the Conservancy is charged with honoring the past while protecting the future of trees in our great urban Park.  The 2008 tree census is the first of its kind in Central Park to utilize new technology to help us care for our magnificent collection of trees.

Keeping Central Park Green through the Central Park Conservancy's
tree care program is generously funded by