The Big Apple is transforming its green spaces into a valuable source of income by selling timber from forest land it manages around the upstate reservoir system that supplies water to 9 million New York City residents. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sells wood from dead and diseased trees as well as overgrowth from more than 200,000 acres of property in the Catskills region – a buffer zone that safeguards the city’s water supply.
Timber companies are typically the buyers of wood from Gotham’s foresters. The latest sale includes an estimated 187,000 square feet of hardwood sawtimber and 89 cords of hardwood pulp, according to a notice for bidders published by the DEP. Each cord could weigh up to 5,000 pounds each – or 2.5 tons.
The wood products for the sale, part of the Carpenters Eddy East Forest Management Project, are located near state Highway 10 in Delaware County. This sale is comprised of mostly mature red oak and white ash and will be the first entry to the area for management in nearly 80 years,” DEP stated.
Last year, the DEP sold 901,289 feet of timber and 1,338 cords of firewood for $156,000. This makes New York City one of the state’s largest providers of wood products. So far this fiscal year, the DEP has sold 249,596 feet of timber and 310 cords of firewood.
The massive city reservoir system in and around the Catskills region is roughly the size of the state of Delaware. It gives New York City a significant presence upstate. The city is the top taxpayer in four upstate counties, and the DEP maintains the longest water tunnel in the world – the 85-mile Delaware Aqueduct.
Thousands of state residents are granted access to fish, hike, hunt, and boat in the city watershed filled with pristine waterways and hiking trails. In the past year, the city issued 23,173 permits for hiking and hunting, 2,103 boating/fishing permits, and 1,232 permits for recreational boating. This sustainable approach to managing forest lands not only generates revenue but also maintains the delicate balance between human needs and environmental protection in New York City’s vast upstate reservoir system.
