Five New Cities Join the National Forests in Cities Network

We are excited to announce that FIVE new cities have joined the Forests in Cities Network in 2025! The new cities are Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas; San Antonio, Texas; and Syracuse, New York. Each of these cities applied as a team of several organizations that work to manage, advocate for and/or research urban forested natural areas. 

What is the Forests in Cities network?

The Natural Areas Conservancy launched the Forests in Cities Network in 2019 to champion healthy forested natural areas in cities across America. We do this by advancing urban forest science and practice, advocating for increased resources and support, and nurturing a network of interdisciplinary experts.

The forests in Cities Network, with these additions, now includes 26 cities representing 73 organizations with 108 professionals. We now have 36 local and county government entities, 24 nonprofits, 7 academic institutions, 4 for profit organizations and 2 state governments. 

About the new city teams and their natural areas

Cleveland, Ohio

Scenic Skyline Overlook at West Creek Reservation on August 17, 2022. (Kyle Lanzer/Cleveland Metroparks)

Cleveland contains thousands of acres of forested natural areas, and is surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of primarily forested protected land managed by Cleveland Metroparks. The new Cleveland team is bringing their expertise building coalitions and conducting research to the network. Here are their members:

• City of Cleveland Mayor’s Office of Sustainability: Sarah O’Keeffe, Director of Sustainability & Climate Justice
• Cleveland Metroparks:, Constance Hausman, Senior Conservation Science Manager
• Cleveland Tree Coalition: Sara Tillie, Director

“We are thrilled to join the Forests in Cities Network. The Cleveland Tree Coalition represents more than 25 partners all working together to restore our urban forest. Joining the network with our partners at the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland Metroparks not only allows us to showcase innovations from Cleveland, but also to make vital connections to other great cities supporting urban forestry across the United States.” said Sara Tillie, Director of the Cleveland Tree Coalition

“Cleveland Metroparks, together with the Cleveland Tree Coalition and City of Cleveland, is honored to be included among the nation’s leading institutions as a part of the Forests in Cities Network. This opportunity bolsters our core values of sustainability and conservation, supporting our dedication to climate resiliency through the protection and growth of Cleveland’s urban forest,” said Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian M. Zimmerman. “We are excited to collaborate  and learn from our peers from across the country and share the research, strategies, and successes we’ve achieved here in Cleveland.”

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is at an exciting phase of its management of the forested natural areas in the city, as they are working to categorize and manage their over 1000 acres of forested natural areas, including at least one old-growth forest. The Detroit team are experts at advocacy and engaging the community in the care of parks and other open space. 

• City of Detroit, General Services Department: Kate Gmyrek, Assistant Chief of Landscape Architecture
• Detroit Future City: Patrick Crouch, Program Manager
• Detroit Parks Coalition: Rob Streit, Resources and Partnership Manager

Kansas City, Kansas

The Kansas City Metro, straddling the Missouri-Kansas border, contains over a thousand acres of natural areas that includes a diverse array of undisturbed forests, woodlands, glades, savannas, riparian areas and prairies. Kansas City’s team, umbrellaed under the organization Bridging the Gap, brings their direct management experience and tree advocacy to the network.

• Bridging the Gap: Sarah Crowder, Director of Forestry and Natural Systems
• Heartland Tree Coalition: Joe Wheelock, Program Manager
• Kansas City Wildlands:
  • Hunter Moore, Program Manager
  • Sarah Beier, Program Coordinator
  • Jacobo Barriga, Program Coordinator

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is our third city in Texas, joining Austin and Houston. San Antonio is rich with forested natural areas and other natural spaces. The team brings together the expertise of the city parks department, a land trust and the river authority, which lends diverse perspectives about urban conservation to the network.

• City of San Antonio Parks & Recreation, Cassidy Kempf, Natural Areas Program Manager
• Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas: Clay Thompson, Director of Conservation and Stewardship
• San Antonio River Authority: Lee Marlowe, Sustainable Landscape Ecologist

Syracuse, New York

Our second New York city, Syracuse has around 500 acres of city-owned forested land. The city has made great progress in management since 2010, including new staff. The Syracuse team brings expertise in management, research and community engagement. 

• City of Syracuse Parks Department: Forestry Division: Stephen Harris, City Arborist
• City of Syracuse Department of Neighborhood & Business Development: Karina Freeland, Sustainability Planner
• Onondaga Earth Corps: Kate Littlefield, Project Manager
• SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry: Deb Hilbert, Assistant Professor of Arboriculture & Urban Forestry

We would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new cities! If you are interested in joining, please reach out to sam.lawson@naturalareasnyc.org.

Learn more about the NAC’s Forests in Cities network.