Brooklyn Botanic Garden Tree Conference

In March, I attended the 41st annual Marking Brooklyn Bloom Conference held by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The theme this year was Tapping the Power of Trees: how Urban Forest will save cities. This topic really spoke to me because I consider trees to have so many co-social, economic, and ecological benefits but most of the time we envision forests in rural settings versus in cities. I was excited to learn deeply the key role urban trees have in keeping our cities' environment clean and cool.

This was the first year since the pandemic that the conference was held in person and it was so amazing to see so many avid New York gardeners, urbanists, environmentalist turn out. What struck me was how diverse the conference attendance was and how many local environmental organizations turned up.

One of the speakers at the conference was Emily Nobel Maxwell from the Nature Conservancy. Maxwell’s topic “Speak for the Trees 30x35" was incredibly memorable for it’s expansiveness and ambitious goals. The talk focused on the unique goal and challenge of increasing the NYC’s 30% tree canopy goal by 2035 equitably.

Maxwell started the lecture with a historical lens by deep diving into the impact of redlining which urban planners and politicians in the 1930s used to categorize neighborhoods with people of color and immigrants as fiscally risky and therefore not worth investing in. Some neighborhoods were deemed worthy of investment such as beautification projects or public transportation while others were not. Almost a 100 years later, we can still see the impact of redlining in NYC and most notably in the trees given how long it can take for a tree to mature and thrive.

Maxwell then segued into talking about present day action. The presence of trees in a neighborhood can dictate whether or not it will be livable in our changing climate. With rising temperatures due to climate change, heat related deaths in the summer are extremely common in vulnerable communities. A tree’s shade could make the difference between a 85 degree day and a 105 degree. What was so unique about Maxwell's talk was the focus on various local non-profit organizations (over 40) that have rallied to this goal and focused on lobbying city officials to actualize. On a technical level, it was interesting to understand the difference between the number of trees and the canopy range they can provide.

One question I was able to ask during the Q&A component was tactical and forwards thinking. What kind of trees should we prioritize planting? Given the changing climate due to climate change, should we focus on more heat resistant trees? What about focusing on local native trees? Maxwell’s response was really illuminating because it focused on the strength of diversity. We don’t know what exact challenges the future will bring. But having a monoculture of trees will drastically increase our risk of trees dying off for the same reason. By having a diversity of tree species with a focus on native, we can ensure that not one single reason can demolish our tree population.

While NYC may be the city of cement, skyscrapers, and industry, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Tree Conference reminded me just how important trees are to our communal human experience. Just like pavement, trees should be valued as precious public resources that need to be protected, expanded, and maintained.