The Metropolitan New York Forest Ecosystems Council is a not-for-profit organization providing leadership for protection, research, restoration and management of forested ecosystems and promoting education that increases and disseminates information about the importance of metropolitan forested habitats.
Forested ecosystems are becoming scarce, fragmented resources in the New York metropolitan area. Lack of contiguous canopy and ground cover degrades watersheds and wetlands, changes soil characteristics, and provides sites for aggressive exotic species that displace native plants and animals, delaying or preventing succession to native forest.
Definition:
Forested ecosystems include both wetlands and uplands with continuous tree canopy, as well as wooded and successional areas with developing tree canopies. In addition, areas expected to become forested, if undisturbed, are included because forest restoration is vital to the health of currently fragmented forests.
Protection:
This Council advocates and promotes the protection and ecologically sound management of metropolitan New York forests, woodlands and successional areas expected to become forested. This includes the preservation of ecological diversity and encouragement of natural regeneration and ecosystem processes within metropolitan forest habitats.
Research:
The Council will facilitate the identification of critical questions related to management, protection and understanding of metropolitan New York forested ecosystems. It will encourage the interaction between scientists, managers and educators to answer these questions.
Education:
The Council will initiate and support education projects that actively involve communities in the preservation of metropolitan New York forested ecosystems. It will promote awareness and understanding of forested, wooded, and successional areas among government officials, policy makers, and community leaders in order to encourage ecologically sound policies that sustain and protect metropolitan forests.
Safety and Stewardship:
The Council promotes efforts to increase the safety and stability of forests in the New York metropolitan area in order to adequately carry out research and education projects. In addition, the Council encourages responsible citizen stewardship to preserve woodlands and forested ecosystems.
Coordination:
The Council will foster communications and interactions between practitioners, managers, scientists and educators concerned with all metropolitan New York natural areas, including those concerned with aquatic and marine ecosystems.
Funding:
The Council will identify sources of funding for research, management and education projects and programs in and about metropolitan New York forested ecosystems.