Extreme Heat Inequity in NYC: What causes it and what the Parks Department is doing to improve conditions

MHG Meetings

Sponsored By: Metro Hort Group

Fall is almost here, and we’re excited to announce that Metro Hort monthly meetings are about to begin virtually!
(Note: Registration is required to attend virtual meetings.)

Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, September 22nd
6:30pm–7:30pm
Extreme Heat Inequity in NYC:
What causes it and what the Parks Department is doing to improve conditions
Dr. Mike Treglia & Jennifer Greenfeld

Dr. Mike Treglia will discuss how the forest canopy is a major ingredient in keeping a neighborhood cool in the summer, and how the importance of street trees to help cool the streets has become increasingly important with the rising temperatures. Dr. Treglia will give us more of the facts on the distribution of the forest canopy in NYC and will also share information about green roofs and their value.

Jennifer Greenfeld will speak about NYC Parks’ tree planting programs, including how they have changed over time to address inequitable distribution across the city. She will explain how the city selects trees, identifies planting locations, prepares sites, and provides care. The current administration has focused on ameliorating the impacts of heat, including investing in tree planting in the most vulnerable neighborhoods

To attend this meeting, you must be a current Metro Hort member.
Pre-registration is required.
Members, please check your email for invitation.
Non-members, we’d love to see you there — Sign up here to join us and get this and all future invitations.

Dr. Mike Treglia is the Lead Scientist for The Nature Conservancy’s New York State Cities Program. He oversees The Conservancy’s science-related activities in cities throughout New York. Mike’s applied research characterizes greenspace in cities (focused on NYC) to understand how environmental assets, such as the urban forest and green roofs, are changing through time, who is benefitting from them, and how they can be maintained and expanded to create more climate-resilient landscapes for people and biodiversity. Mike led the development of the first dataset of green roofs in NYC and leverages free and open source tools across his work, in order to develop reproducible workflows that ultimately help increase capacity of others. Mike earned a Ph.D. and M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University, as part of the Applied Biodiversity Science Program. He also worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Tulsa.

Jennifer Greenfeld is the Assistant Commissioner of Forestry, Horticulture, and Natural Resources for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. In this role, she protects, restores, expands, and manages New York City’s urban forest, natural spaces, and green infrastructure. Over the last 20 years at Parks, Jennifer led critical efforts to study the health and mortality of street trees and to quantify the impact of trees on the urban environment. She played an important role in MillionTreesNYC and has overseen the restoration and management of 2,000 acres of natural areas including the completion of the first fish passage in New York City, on the Bronx River. Jennifer has also worked on land conservation and urban forestry in San Francisco and Washington D.C. She has a Master of Forest Science degree from Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.