According to cemetery officials, the cemetery will receive 1,500 new trees thanks to an urban and community forestry grant totaling nearly $500,000 from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
This grant is intended to increase the number of trees in the cemetery and promote the health of the older trees in the historic cemetery. This grant is intended to increase the existing tree canopy area by 35 percent.
According to Joseph Charap, vice president of horticulture at Green-Wood Cemetery, Green-Wood’s trees sequester approximately 221.43 tons of carbon from the air each year and capture over 30,000 gallons of rainwater annually.
“These significant benefits to the surrounding Green-Wood neighborhoods will be enhanced by the new planting and maintenance efforts we will be able to undertake thanks to this grant,” Charap said.
The new tree species that will be planted over the next three years include trees that can withstand the expected impacts of climate change, as well as those that promote biodiversity. As part of the planting process, there will be several programs and opportunities for the public to volunteer.
“Green-Wood has completed many DEC-funded projects in the past with great success and we are very excited about the opportunity to do so again,” said Charap.
