The Forest
Our ongoing research tells us that there is an urgent need to place value on forests to prevent their conversion into pasture and cropland - and develop practical models that are sustainable economically, socially and environmentally.
The Brooklyn Bridge Forest will be a delineated area of existing tropical forest that will supply lumber for the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade in perpetuity - even as it functions as an intact multifunctional ecosystem. This area may also include a portion of deforested land to be reforested over the life cycle of the project. This rainforest is intended to be a landmark preservation model on the world stage, as well as a geographic destination that will support continuous research and ecotourism alongside the social, economic and environmental development. The Brooklyn Bridge Forest will be a global refuge that is jointly watched over by thousands of international sponsors and forestry experts.
This protected forest will not only generate replacement material for the Promenade, but will also provide a transparent supply chain for value-added sustainably-sourced wood for a variety of public and private infrastructure projects. Through these practical and economic exchanges the forest will connect people from around the world in a deeper understanding of the issues affecting forests and our planet. This forest, protected by oversight and the value that has been added to it, will help secure biodiversity, provide oxygen in exchange for carbon dioxide, and become a parallel landmark to New York City's most famous bridge.
The Brooklyn Bridge Forest location will be selected on its ability to implement and sustain a groundbreaking model of low-impact timber harvesting. It is critical that this forest become both a source of wealth to local inhabitants, as well as a working multifunctional ecosystem. Regardless of its location, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards will be upheld as a minimum. These rigorous standards are designed to ensure that forests remain healthy during (and after) the harvest of a limited number of trees every 60 years. Other locally relevant guidelines will be added to the FSC standards according to the economic, political and cultural context.
The total acreage of forest required to support the lumber demands of the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade will depend on the species of tree to be used, and the forestry management plan appropriate to the specific geography. Our current estimates range in area from 2,000 to 10,000 acres, or approximately 1,000 to 5,000 hectares.
Our goal is to use the Brooklyn Bridge Forest project strategically to do the most good in an area of greatest need and potential leadership. Brooklyn Bridge Forest will be soliciting proposals from pre-qualified areas around the world who can demonstrate the ability to implement such a program and meet the wood specification criteria. Around the world today there are hundreds of regions and organizations successfully implementing and/or experimenting with similar projects. These include sites in Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico, El Peten Guatemala, Iwokrama Guyana, Nicaragua, and Panama. And organizations such as Rainforest Alliance, Jagwood, Forest Stewardship Council, The Pinchot Institute - Ecomadera, United Nations Forum on Forests, Futuro Forestal - Community and Forest Foundation, Yale University, School of Forestry. We are actively collaborating with several of these organizations to expand our understanding of the issues, needs and opportunities.
If you know of a region that may meet the criteria for socially and environmentally sustainable forestry and can potentially supply this volume of wood, please contact us to nominate them for the RFP process.)
The primary goal of the Brooklyn Bridge Forest is to help preserve the incalculable value of our world's rainforests by treating them responsibly. When we asked our tropical forestry experts what the Brooklyn Bridge Forest will look like after the first harvest, their response was: "Just like it does now." Our intention is to create a global support network of individuals to keep it that way. Let's do this together!