Literature review and Methodology for NYC Finance Research

Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center (UMD EFC) developed a methodology to help the Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC) NYC identify ecological, economic, and social values of forested areas in NYC. The goal of this literature review was to understand ways researchers have estimated the costs and benefits of urban forests and natural areas, including ecosystem service valuation, to inform the development of a methodology for NAC. 

Also included here is the methodology itself and a template spreadsheet outlining how the methodology was applied. 

Topics in the literature review inlcude:

● Benefits and Costs of Urban Forests

● Urban tree maintenance

● The costs of not maintaining urban natural areas

● Potential impacts of climate on urban natural areas

● The benefits of climate resilient species planting

● Urban tree mortality

How to use this resource:

• The literature review provides a summary of many aspects of urban forested natural areas management, as listed above that can be used to scope research, management, and framing for project justification and grant writing 
• The methodology can be used as an abatable example for how to conduct a similar calculations in other locations.

Author: 

Trust for Public Land (TPL), the University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center (UMD EFC), and the Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC)

Date published: November, 2022

Point of contact: Helen Forgione, Natural Areas Conservancy 

Resource is available online here.