$498,035 Grant Awarded To Green-Wood Cemetery To Plant More Trees

BROOKLYN, NY — Green-Wood Cemetery is about to get greener.

The cemetery is getting 1,500 new trees thanks to an Urban and Community Forestry Grant totaling at just under $500,000 from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, according to cemetery officials.

This grant will go toward increasing the number of trees in the cemetery and supporting the continued health of the more mature trees on the historic burial ground. This grand is expected to increase the existing tree canopy by 35 percent.

Each year, Green-Wood's trees sequester approximately 221.43 tons of carbon, from the air and intercept over 30,000 gallons of stormwater run-off annually, according to Joseph Charap, Green-Wood Cemetery's vice president of horticulture.

"These substantial benefits to Green-Wood’s surrounding neighborhoods will be further enhanced by the new planting and maintenance activities we’ll be able to perform as a result of this grant," Charap said.

The range of new tree species planted during the next three years will include trees that hold up under the anticipated effects of climate change as well as those that foster biodiversity. As part of the planting process, there will be several programs and volunteer opportunities for the public to take part in.

"Green-Wood has a long history of completing DEC-funded projects with great success, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to do so again,” Charap said.