urban restoration

Green Apple Corps: Ecological Restoration with NYC Department of Parks and Restoration

The Green Apple Corps works to restore natural areas throughout New York City by doing intensive, hands-on ecological restoration work in the more than 12,000 acres of undeveloped parkland managed by New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Corps members remove invasive and exotic plant species from forests, meadows, marshes, and freshwater and coastal wetlands, while helping to re–plant degraded areas with native species. Corps members also work to slow down erosion of slopes caused by inadequate drainage as well as foot and bicycle traffic, using cribbing techniques and materials that are designed to blend in with the natural surroundings. Additionally, throughout the program, Corps members take on exciting projects such as installing green roofs, building rainwater harvesting systems, and spearheading community plantings and coastal cleanups.

The GreenApple Corps collaborates with several other restoration groups, including Parks’ Natural Resources Group, Prospect Park Alliance, Central Park Conservancy, Grow NYC and the Gaia Institute. The combined efforts of the GreenApple Corps and its collaborators allow for increased amounts of ecological restoration work to be done, while also giving Corps members the opportunity to learn from practitioners with years of field experience.