Forest Research

The Thain Family Forest is a living laboratory—the largest uncut expanse of New York City's original wooded landscape. For thousands of years this old-growth forest has changed, adapted, and survived. Today it supports long-term studies of urban ecology, forest health, biodiversity, and the outcomes of restoration work across NYBG's 50-acre woodland.

Research in the Forest helps us understand how cities shape natural systems, track how the woodland responds to disturbance and management, and share what we learn with students, visitors, and the broader scientific community. Explore active and past projects below, along with selected publications from decades of work in the Forest. To learn how to conduct research in the Forest, please see the Visiting Research section.

Project Directory

9 projects



Conducting Research

Research in the Thain Family Forest is carried out by NYBG staff, graduate students, undergraduate interns, volunteers, and visiting scientists. Projects range from long-term ecological monitoring to focused studies on plants, soils, wildlife, and Bronx River health.

Visiting researchers and students are welcome to propose on-site work in the Forest and across NYBG's living collections. Use the resources below to apply, review required agreements, and learn more about the Garden's collections.

When you are ready to share data, you may reserve a DOI via Figshare (or another repository) and link the deposit from your project record. Upload data to the deposit as it becomes available, then attach files or the deposit URL under project files. How to reserve a DOI in Figshare.

NYBG Living Collections Research Application

At NYBG, we encourage the use of our living collections for scientific research and educational purposes. If you are interested in conducting on-site research or requesting plant material for educational or research purposes, please complete the application below. Please note, applications must be submitted two weeks prior to the anticipated start date of the project. If your application is accepted, you will be asked to complete an agreement form.

Apply for on-site research
Additional resources


Publication Archive

Publications will be published here soon.