The Thain Family Forest is a 50-acre (20 ha) section of old-growth forest along the Bronx River in the New York Botanical Garden, for a time known as the Native Forest and historically as the Hemlock Grove.[1][2] Its heritage dates in part to pre-colonial Lenapehoking. New York City acquired 4,000 acres (~1620 ha) as parkland in 1888, and in 1895 the New York Botanical Garden site was chosen here primarily due to the presence of the forest, which covers about one-fifth of the garden grounds. Founding director Nathaniel Lord Britton described the site as "the most precious natural possession of the city of New York". The canopy is in various zones such as oak, hemlock, beech, sweet gum and mixed. The eastern hemlock, the forest's original namesake, declined in the early 20th century, due to the hemlock woolly adelgid and the elongate hemlock scale.[3] Its 2011 redevelopment was supported by John Thain and Carmen Thain, and included the removal of non-native species as well as the expansion of native ones.[4] Several walking trails traverse the forest. Appointed in 2021, Eliot Nagele serves as the Director of the Thain Family Forest.[5]
- ^ "Chapter 11: Forest & River". The New York Botanical Garden Landscape History Report. Heritage Landscapes. February 2008. pp. 11.1–11.20.
- ^ "Forest » New York Botanical Garden". New York Botanical Garden. Archived from the original on 2022-06-04. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
- ^ Schuler, Jessica Arcate; Forrest, Todd A. (2016). THAIN FAMILY FOREST PROGRAM 2008–2025 (PDF). New York Botanical Garden. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
- ^ Rothstein, Edward (2011-11-03). "Where the Lenape Trod". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-06-12. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
- ^ "Fall Foliage Forecast: Rest Of October Weather Will Determine If We See Peak Colors In NYC Area Come Mid-November". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2022-06-16.