Healthy Forests

Learn more about why healthy New York forests are essential for birds and people.

Forest with high structural diversity. Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

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New York’s forests offer some of the largest and most intact forested landscapes in the Atlantic Flyway.

Stretching from the Pine Barrens of Long Island, through the Hudson Highlands and Catskills, across the Allegheny Plateau, all the way north to the Tug Hill Plateau and the Adirondacks, New York’s forests are home to more than three dozen bird species of conservation concern.

Although forests in the U.S. have largely rebounded since the height of agricultural land clearing in the early 20th Century, many remain fragmented or provide habitat of poor quality due to incompatible management, invasive species, and overabundant deer, while others continue to be lost to development and stressed by a changing climate.

Healthy forests are resilient to stressors such as climate change and invasive species, and they provide critical ecosystem services that benefit people, including flood control, water quality protection, and carbon sequestration, as well as forest products and recreational opportunities.

Audubon New York is collaborating with other state programs within the Atlantic Flyway to address these threats and to protect and improve forest bird breeding habitat in North America via public programs and private partnerships.

If you are a landowner or manager interested in improving habitat for birds and other wildlife, check out the Healthy Forest Resources. Land owners in or near Priority Forest Areas can fill out our Landowner Assistance Form, and we'll do our best to be in touch in 2-3 weeks.

Where We Work

Adirondack Forest Tract
Healthy Forests

Adirondack Forest Tract

A globally significant Important Bird Area, the Adirondack region is home to the largest relatively intact tract of forest habitat in New York State.

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Hudson River Valley Conservation
Healthy Forests

Hudson River Valley Conservation

Guidance for Management of Priority Birds in the Hudson River Valley

Read more

News & Updates

Top 10 New York Forest Birds
Forest Resources

Top 10 New York Forest Birds

Without picking favorites, here are some of the birds that depend on New York's forests for feeding, nesting, and raising young.

Top Invasive Species Resource Professionals Should Monitor for Forest Health
Healthy Forests

Top Invasive Species Resource Professionals Should Monitor for Forest Health

Help New York birds by creating healthier woodland habitat.

Bird-Friendly Maple
Working Lands

Bird-Friendly Maple

A collaborative conservation project that aims to sweeten sugarbush habitat for songbirds.

WATCH: An Inside Look at Healthy Forests
Forest Resources

WATCH: An Inside Look at Healthy Forests

On this webinar recording we take a close look at some of the threats our forests and forest birds face, and what we can do to help.

Free Landowner's Guide to Improving Forest Health
Forest Resources

Free Landowner's Guide to Improving Forest Health

Start here and take steps to improve forest habitat for birds, other wildlife, recreation, and more.

Audubon New York Offers Free Forester's Guide
Forest Resources

Audubon New York Offers Free Forester's Guide

The application of sustainable forest management can greatly improve forest bird habitat.

These Beloved Warblers Migrate North Almost a Week Earlier Than 50 Years Ago
Climate

These Beloved Warblers Migrate North Almost a Week Earlier Than 50 Years Ago

Black-throated Blue Warblers now start spring migration 5.5 days sooner than they did in the 1960s, a new study finds. Is climate change to blame?

Kunjamuk Young Forest Demonstration Project
Healthy Forests

Kunjamuk Young Forest Demonstration Project

Audubon’s demo forest sites are living laboratories for people to visit, attend workshops, and learn about best practices to create healthy forest habitats.

Forest Fact Sheet
Forest Resources

Forest Fact Sheet

Quick facts about healthy forest habitat and why it's essential. Click here to download and print!

Managing Forests for Birds: A Landowner's Guide
Forest Resources

Managing Forests for Birds: A Landowner's Guide

Download this new guide, full of information about the habitat needs of forest birds plus next steps for landowners to follow when interested in forest habitat management.