Thinking About Forests

As the air continues to clear in the North East and New Yorkers return to regularly scheduled Summer outdoor activities, let’s take a minute to reflect on the urgent matter of climate change.

The smoke from last week’s Canadian fires continues to dissipate from our region, but the hotter and dryer climate at the source of the issue is not going anywhere. So let’s talk about forest health and human health too, because we depend on each other.

While Canadian forests may seem so very far away from our city lives, judging by last week, we’re not as separate as we may think. Caring about forests and their longevity is all our work, even for city dwellers.

It’s expected that by 2050, 89% of the U.S. population and 68% of the world population will live in urban areas. And as urbanization increases, we must ensure that we don’t lose sight of forests that may indeed be out of sight.

Lucky for us New Yorkers, our city has abundant green spaces, trees, and urban forest areas. While they may not be as sprawling as a National Forest, our city parks are worth getting to know.

·      Studies show that spending time outdoors boosts conservation actions. When surveyed, 87 percent of study respondents who played outside as children expressed a continued love of nature as young adults. Of that group, 84 percent said taking care of the environment was a priority.

·      Substantial evidence indicates that overall time spent in nature leads to increased perceived value for connectedness to nature and, subsequently, greater pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors.

No matter where we are in the world, there’s always a way to build a personal relationship with nature, and the benefits will prove well worth the effort.