Constitutionally protected as “Forever Wild” since 1894, New York State’s Forest Preserve today comprises three million acres and contains many of the state’s oldest forests. Since the end of logging and mining in the late 1800’s on Forest Preserve lands, natural processes have driven changes in these forests as they age toward a state called old-growth. Old-growth forests provide structurally complex, diverse, and unique habitats for animals, plants, and fungi and can contribute to climate change mitigation by removing and storing carbon from the atmosphere.
In 2023, DEC began a five-year study to identify old growth forests on DEC-owned lands in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. This study will help us better understand the ecological processes and climate contributions of these forests across New York State and continue DEC’s science-based management practices in the Forest Preserve. DEC has partnered with the New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) to conduct this study, which is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund.
Old-Growth Forests
Unlike many of New York’s forests that have been harvested and regrown, old-growth forests have had minimal human disruption in the past 200-300 years. Old-growth forests in the northeast U.S. are known for having a variety of tree ages with many old trees and diverse shade-tolerant plants that grow on the forest floor. Many of these plants, including mosses and ferns, grow on top of fallen, decomposing trees. Old-growth forests are also home to uncommon and rare species, particularly lichens and mosses. Less than 1% of old-growth forests that were once in the eastern U.S. remain today. Since these forests are often difficult to identify and access, we know little about biodiversity and ecosystem function—meaning the interaction of natural processes—in these rare ecological communities. To learn more about New York’s old-growth forests, visit NYNHP’s website.
Extent of Old-Growth Forests in the Forest Preserve
The full extent and locations of old-growth forests in New York State are not yet known. This project uses computer modeling to predict locations of possible old-growth forests in the Forest Preserve, followed by site visits to confirm their presence. Researchers have developed a rapid site survey method to identify old-growth forests throughout the Forest Preserve. The data collected from these sites will help fine-tune the predictive models, which can then be applied to other forests across New York State.
So far, prior research by NYNHP has mapped about 75,000 acres of old-growth forests. However, based on previous studies, there is an estimated 275,000 to 860,000 acres of old-growth forest across the state, most of it found in the Forest Preserve. Identifying additional old-growth forests in the Forest Preserve will be important for future research, recreation management, and conservation of these ecosystems. This project will also provide a baseline for future efforts to map old-growth forests and study how they change over time.
Carbon Stored in Old-Growth Forests
This project will also study the amount and distribution of carbon stored above and below ground at specific old-growth forest sites. These measurements will help us better understand how old-growth forests’ carbon storage can contribute to New York’s efforts to mitigate climate change.
Forest Types and Climate Change Mitigation
New York's forests are comprised of diverse types, ages, and features. Each forest requires an approach to stewardship that suits its unique characteristics and meets the management goals of the landowner. Outside of the Forest Preserve, state- and privately-owned forests may be managed for multiple benefits including forest health, wildlife habitat, wood products, climate change mitigation, and water quality. Sustainable forest management can enhance forest resiliency in the face of climate change and other forest stressors and contribute significantly to carbon sequestration, or uptake, and storage. Learn more about DEC’s efforts to mitigate climate change through forest carbon at the Forests and Climate Change webpage.
For more information on the old-growth forest study, please contact [email protected].
