Prospect Park is home to the last remaining natural forest in Brooklyn. Along with the watercourse, the diversity of trees hosts a wide range of animal species, including thousands of migratory birds who stop in Prospect Park midway through their journey along the Atlantic Flyway.

Prospect Park has over 30,000 trees spread throughout its 585 acres. Eleven thousand of them are landscape trees, which require regular pruning and care, on the Park’s meadows, paths, roadways, and perimeter. The remainder are woodland trees in the Park’s natural areas, 250 acres of which comprise Brooklyn’s only forest.

The Eastern Deciduous Forest extends from Massachusetts to Texas, and Prospect Park holds the last remaining piece of this native woodland that exists in Brooklyn. This type of forest was historically comprised of Oak and Hickory, and Oak trees still make up an important part of the Park’s forest canopy. The most common oaks in the Park today include the native species of red, white and pin oaks. Other native tree species include black cherry, sweetgum, tulip, white and green ash, sugar and red maple and American elm.





Woodland shrubs, flowers, and herbaceous plants make up the forest’s understory, providing food and shelter for many small animals and keeping the soil healthy for the continual regeneration of trees. Shrubs in the Park include Arrowwood, Elderberry and Sweet Pepper Bush. Some flowers you’ll see are White Snake Root and Heartleaf Aster.

The woodlands of Prospect Park face three major threats to their ability to regenerate naturally: non-native invasive species, soil compaction, and soil erosion. That is why restoration and other landscape management techniques are so crucial to the continued health of this natural oasis.

Non-native or exotic species came to the area from Europe and Asia’s temperate regions. Some were brought by settlers, some came accidentally as seeds in imported cargo, and many were imported by farmers, botanists and gardeners. Olmsted and Vaux included a variety of exotic species in their design for the Park, believing they would add a richness and variety that suited their attempts at creating sublime natural compositions. However, non-native tree species like the Norway Maple and Sycamore Maple often out-compete native trees, reproducing aggressively and causing a breakdown of the ecological interdependence between naturally occurring plant species and indigenous wildlife. Exotic species may thrive in non-native environments, but without the controlling particulars of their native habitat, they contribute to a degradation of woodlands and a decrease in woodland diversity.

Healthy forest soil is loose and porous with many pockets in which plant roots can find air, water and nutrients. When people and animals walk on the soil or when vehicles and bicycles run over it, this porous soil becomes compacted-hard and dense with little space for crucial air and moisture. Plants in compacted soil begin to die and the soil becomes bare. When the soil on slopes is bare, there is nothing to slow down rainwater and the slopes begin to erode. Compacted soil is also so dense that young seedlings are unable to break through to the surface, halting the ability of the forest to regenerate.

With over eight million visitors a year, soil disturbance is a very serious problem in Prospect Park. The signs of this destructive process can include exposed roots, fallen limbs, peeling bark, and bare soil with no shrubs or wildflowers. Soil compaction and erosion damage young seedlings and severely inhibit the reproduction of the next generation of plants.

Restoration
Just as humans have contributed to the degradation of the Park’s native woodlands, human intervention is the only way these processes can be reversed. To preserve and protect the Park’s fragile trees, the Prospect Park Alliance launched the 1996-2000 Woodlands Campaign. Using modern ecological principles, the Alliance has restored over 100 acres of woodlands. This includes the planting of over 200,000 trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, selecting species that reflect the natural diversity of the original woodlands, in hopes that the ecosystem will become more self-sustaining. Also crucial to the restoration effort are soil-stabilization techniques that control soil erosion and compaction. Thousands of volunteers have joined the Natural Resources Crew to help with the labor-intensive restoration of the native forest.

Natural Resources Crew sponsored by 

Restoration techniques include:

· Aerating soil and covering it with composted organic matter and leaf mulch.
· Planting of native shrubs, trees and herbaceous plants.
· Temporary site protection fencing to allow new plantings to become established.
· Erosion blankets and cribbing (stacked logs pegged and wired in place) are used to stabilize the soil and hold it in place.
· Regularly scheduled inspection of trees for signs of disease and early treatment.