New York City of Trees

“If you love New York and you love trees, then you must read Benjamin Swett’s beautiful book, New York City of Trees. Swett describes the city’s trees with the perceptiveness of an accomplished naturalist and the artistry of a gifted photographer.” —Edward S. Barnard, author of New York City Trees: A Field Guide for the Metropolitan Area

“New York is a city built atop a forest. And in a forest, every tree has a story. As this wonderfully personal account of the trees of New York City amply demonstrates, the trees are still here, idiosyncratic, communicative, full of personality, standing for the ages with a resolute perseverance that does our forest-city proud. Through Benjamin Swett’s photographs and text, you will come to know your neighbors, make new friends, hear their tales, tell them yours, and expand your notion of what it means to be a New Yorker. I heartily recommend it.” —Eric Sanderson, Senior Conservation Ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society, and author of Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City

A celebration of New York’s great trees in stories and photographs

We know that trees improve living conditions in cities by filtering and cooling the air, absorbing excess rainwater, and making neighborhoods more attractive. But little has been said about their role as witnesses to the city’s past until now. In this collection of personal narratives, historical observations, and color photographs, Benjamin Swett focuses on great trees with stories to tell, adding a warm and welcome narrative that is unique to the city and its cosmopolitan character. The stories of these trees, from all five boroughs—some dating from the Revolutionary era and before—link the living with the past in an engaging way not found in other books. A show of the photographs from the book will take place at the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park, March 6 through April 18, 2013.

The former director of the Parks in Print program at the New York City Parks Department, Benjamin Swett is best known for Great Trees of New York City: A Guide; Bronx River New York; Fort Greene Park Brooklyn; Route 22, and many other publications. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and three children.