Forests

New York state is 62 percent forested -- forests cover 18.6 million acres of our 30 million total acres. Much of this land is privately owned and managed for wood or pulp, and most of the land owned by the state is forested.

New York's forests are important economic resources -- according to Cornell University, the forest industry employs more than 60,000 people and directly contributes some $4.6 billion to the state's economy each year.

Forests also provide outstanding recreation for many thousands of New Yorkers and visitors. DEC cares for about four million acres of land including the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve, State Forests, Unique Areas and the State Nature and Historic Preserve.

Preserving and protecting our forests benefits local communities and industries, and the state as a whole. On this page you will find the programs DEC employs to manage state-owned forest lands, and to assist private landowners in managing their forests.

More about Forests:

New York's State Forester - New York State Forester's role and information.
Forests and the Environment - Forests provide critical ecosystem services essential to human life and a high standard of living: clean water and air, forest products, fish and wildlife habitat, scenic beauty, recreationsl opportunity, carbon sequestration, open space, and energy independence.
New York Forest Preserve - Article XIV of the NYS Constitution: The lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept as wild forest lands.
State Forests Outside the Preserve - Reforestation areas and multiple use lands outside the Adirondack and Catskill Parks.
Unit Management Plans - (UMPs) are plans intended to assess the natural and physical resources present within a unit, identify opportunities for recreational use and consider the ability of the resources and ecosystems to accommodate public use.
Recreation Management Plans - (RMPs) are plans intended to assess the recreational resources present within a Conservation Easement, identify opportunities for recreational use and consider the ability of the resources and ecosystems to accommodate public use.
Forest Health - Forest Health Protection involves strategies to coordinate the efforts of many different agencies and programs to ensure that New Yorks' forests are healthy, and free from destructive insects and disease.
Forest Products Utilization and Marketing - The Forest Products Utilization and Marketing program deals with many aspects of the utilization, significance, understanding and promotion of New York's forest resources and forest industries.
Private Forest Management - Foresters provide expert advice on wildlife habitat improvement, erosion control, tree planting, recreation enhancement, sugar bush management and silviculture
Urban and Community Forestry - Urban and community forestry is the management of trees and forests within populated areas from small villages to large cities
Forest Fires - Information on wildfire in New York