Winnakee’s commitment to protect and restore
10,000 intact forest acres in ten years across the Hudson Valley.
Why are we doing this?
Climate Resilience
- Development and fragmentation of forests releases decades of stored carbon back into the earth’s atmosphere.
- Protecting intact forests and their rich soil helps sequester carbon to keep climate change in check
- In NYS, simply protecting 10,000 acres of mature, intact forest will keep sequestered one million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent (carbon released in deforestation can take a century to re-establish)
- These forests will sequester an additional 11,000 metric tons average annually
- Restored forests further increase sequestration
Restoring young forests for wildlife that depend on that habitat:
- Today's forests face unprecedented threats of deer, disease, insects, and invasives. Winnakee's timely stewardship model is helping Hudson Valley forests regenerate naturally – so that young saplings can survive
- Ecologically sound forest interiors are home to many of NYS's most imperiled species
- Young forests and watersheds are essential wildlife habitats
- Critical habitat for migration corridors will be protected
Nature-based solution value:
- Every $100 invested in restoring degraded land generates up to $3K in economic benefits
- The ecosystem services forests provide are critical to our way of life: Clean air, clean water, flood protection — natural solutions are more effective and economic in the long run
There are many things that landowners can do
to improve their lands and contribute to climate resilience.
