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American Forests, Summer-Autumn, 2004

New York has stepped up its greening efforts with an initiative aimed at replanting trees in five cities: Syracuse, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, and Poughkeepsie. The Urban Forestry Initiative has received the blessing of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and the backing of several corporate sponsors.

Clinton celebrated the project's beginning in May during a press conference with AMERICAN FORESTS' executive director Deborah Gangloff, Syracuse Mayor Matthew J. Driscoll, and representatives from Cornell University and State University of New York-Syracuse, Environmental Science and Forestry.

"Ozone pollution is a serious health problem in New York, and trees are the perfect remedy," Clinton said. "We need to do everything we can to help our cities become cleaner and greener, and I believe this initiative is a fantastic start."

Part of the drive behind the Initiative came from a new report, issued simultaneously, which details the cost-benefits of expanded tree-cover in urban areas. The report, "Greening New York's Cities: A Guide to How Trees Can Clean Our Water, Improve Our Air, and Save Our Money," also provides target goals, a "guide to city greening," and "a list of useful resources for all cities interested in urban forestry."

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AMERICAN FORESTS, which conducted the survey, found that all five cities fell below the recommended 40 percent tree cover totals in the East. Existing totals ranged from 11.4 percent in Buffalo to 37 percent in Binghamton. Tree cover in the other three cities totaled in the 20 percent range--23.9 percent for Rochester, 24 percent for Poughkeepsie, and 26.7 percent for Syracuse.

Estimates were then made of the number of trees needed in each of the cities and the value of those new trees for air and water quality. The number of trees that will need to be planted over the next 10 years is huge. For example, Buffalo will need to plant 3,426 trees each year. But, the report shows, the benefits will be even greater. And the amounts seem attainable, given the 10-year time frame and the fact that 90 percent of the planting spaces are on private property and most city plantings are in the parks and open spaces.

As outlined in the report, cities with more trees need fewer stormwater facilities and can reduce air pollution more cheaply. And using the ecosystem services that trees provide means it costs less to run a city--and creates one whose citizens are healthier. Trees can also help cities avoid expensive fines for noncompliance with Environmental Protection Agency standards.

The nonprofit Trees New York; International Paper; HSBC; Starbucks; Niagara-Mohawk, a National Grid Company; and specialty retailer Eddie Bauer donated more than 500 trees to kick-start the replanting. To help, contact AMERICAN FORESTS at 800/368-5748 ext. 218.

"This is the perfect example of the success we can create for our cities and our environment when we bring business, government, research, and communities together," Clinton said.