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The Village of Irvington finds that the existence of trees within the Village makes a fundamental contribution to the health, safety and general welfare of Irvington citizens and the community at large. Trees, in addition to their aesthetic benefits, are essential to riparian habitat, wildlife, energy conservation, temperature moderation and the healthy ecology of the area; trees help improve air quality and reduce global warming. These benefits to the community and environment increase as trees mature. Maturation of trees protects surface water quality, provides shade, offers windbreaks, controls water pollution by reducing soil erosion and flooding, offers a natural barrier to noise, yields advantageous microclimates and fundamental ecological systems. Trees, together with shrubs, contribute to property values of residential and commercial establishments, and preserve and enhance the natural beauty and appearance of the Village and its historic, non-urban character.
In 2012, Irvington updated the tree preservation chapter of its Village code. It codified the Tree Preservation Commission. In 2022, the Village launched the Irvington Community Forest Management Plan providing even more direction to improve the Village's urban forest management efforts.
The Tree Preservation Commission was established to protect and preserve trees within the Village, whether municipal, commercial or residential, and to ensure review, regulation and inspection of any activity affecting trees that might adversely affect the health, safety and general welfare of the community. The activities of the Tree Commission, including review and approval of tree permits, outlining municipal tree policies and providing tree education, help the Village and its residents to better serve as stewards of our air, water, land and living resources.
A related web resource on Tree Stewardship summarizes many of the local efforts to preserve, improve and enjoy our forests, including updating a notable trail system in Irvington Wood Park, a long-term ecological research program on forest health and dynamics (engaging K-12 students) and other significant stewardship projects in Irvington Woods and O'Hara Nature Center.
See an overview of Irvington's Local Forestry Program created for Climate Smart Communities here.
Tree City USA
Tree City USA
Irvington has been a designated Tree City since 1985, meeting standards set by the Arbor Day Foundation such as having a Tree Preservation Commission and establishing Tree Care Ordinances and a tree planting program and budget. The committee also offers tree care guidance. Learn more about Tree Cities here.
In 2024, Irvington's Climate Smart Communities task force assembled a Local Forestry Documentation, including a tree canopy and street tree inventory.
Irvington tree canopy height from 2 m (green) to 50 m (red).
Village of Irvington historic district tree canopy height from 2 m (green) to 36 m (red).
Location of heritage trees in the Village of Irvington showing species
Tree Canopy Inventory
Tree Canopy Inventory
Tree canopy height was calculated from NYS LIDAR data from 2019 (downloaded from https://orthos.dhses.ny.gov). The LIDAR data was first used to make a digital elevation map (DEM) at 25 cm resolution from the ground return points. The DEM was subtracted from the LIDAR first return points to make a digital height map. Points were then filtered by NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) > 0.2 calculated from 60 cm USDA NAIP data (https://naip-usdaonline.hub.arcgis.com). This removes buildings and roads, which have low NDVI values. The data was finally filtered to remove heights < 2 m to remove surface vegetation.
The tree canopy height from this process for the Village of Irvington is shown in the image below. There is very high canopy coverage in the eastern part of the Village in Irvington Woods Park. There is a further area of high canopy coverage around Halsey Pond (center near bottom of figure). The overall tree canopy coverage for Irvington is very good at 54%.
The mean canopy height is 14.7 m (48 feet). There is a notable tail in the distribution of canopy heights above 30 m (98 feet) with some canopy above 40 m (131 feet). These points come from very tall tulip poplars particularly near Saw Mill Parkway in the far east of the Village.
The tree canopy coverage in the historic downtown district (inside the blue contour in Figure 3) is much lower at only 22%. This is where a substantial fraction of Irvington’s population lives, so they do not directly benefit from the mitigating impact of the extensive tree cover further east, particularly from shade reducing temperatures on hot summer days.
Out of the 304 trees measured, the most common species were Norway maples (54), flowering cherry (46), flowering pear (27). The most common native species were linden (19), red maple (16), pin oak (13). It is intended in the future to plant nearly exclusively native trees.
The Village of Irvington is home to many magnificent trees. Around 50 trees have been identified as particularly fine specimens and have been put on a heritage tree list.
The Irvington Woods
The Irvington Woods
Irvington is lucky to have the Irvington Woods Park, a 251-acre ecological preserve that comprises nearly 14% of the Village of Irvington, NY. As one of the largest intact forest ecosystems in southern Westchester County, it plays a vital role in regional water filtration, stormwater buffering, and climate regulation. Strategically located at one of the village’s highest elevations and draining into the Hudson River watershed, the park supports seven distinct forest stand types and contains rare old-growth specimens—some over 300 years old—verified through research conducted with
Harvard Forest. In 2024, IWP was formally inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network, recognizing its biodiversity, long-term ecological value, and community stewardship. Learn more at TheIrvingtonWoods.org
In 2020, the Village of Irvington received a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Urban and Community Forestry Grant to complete a Tree Inventory and Community Forestry Management Plan for the woods. The report found:
63,750 trees
$73.3M structural value
$2.68M in carbon storage
$60.8K carbon sequestration
$47.5K avoided runoff
$83.7K pollution removal
The O’Hara Nature Center (ONC) serves as the educational and civic heart of the IWP initiative. The ONC was born out of a 2003 intermunicipal agreement between the Village and Westchester County, which secured the 26-acre Westwood Preserve for parkland under the condition that a nature center be established at 170 Mountain Road. With the help of Congresswoman Nita Lowey, the Village secured a $239,000 federal grant in 2008 through the U.S. Department of Energy. The final funding gap was closed by a $60,000 contribution from the O’Hara Foundation, allowing for the complete construction of the facility. Since its founding, the ONC
has been a hub for environmental education, civic ecology, and youth engagement.
Programs engage local teenagers through after school and summer workshops and science research projects, Girl Scouts, the Garden Club and many resident volunteers for weekend projects.
Since this 2020 report, the IWP has been awarded multiple grants worth close to a million dollars for urban and community forest stewardship
NYSDEC Urban Forest Tree Risk Assessment Grant (Round 15, 2021) – Funded a comprehensive inventory of urban forest assets and hazard mitigation plans.
USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry IRA Grant (2023–2028) – A $433,275 award (with a $433,275 match) supporting regional forest regeneration across Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, and Hastings-on-Hudson (USDA Forest Service, 2023). Irvington’s role comprises 26% of total forest treatment ($154,000 - $225,000), including tree planting, invasive control, deer mitigation, and forest ecology programs centered at the O’Hara Nature Center.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Partnerships (2019–2024) – Enabled technical support and student programming, including the 2022 Cornell Soil Survey and internshipsfocused on pollinator biodiversity and GIS-based forest mapping.
New York Pollinator Conservation Fund (2024) – A $23,150 award granted to the
Village of Irvington to expand and monitor native pollinator habitats across IWP and the O’Hara Nature Center. This competitive award highlights the ecological significance of local species, such as Bombus fervidus (the golden northern bumblebee), and aligns with national conservation objectives.
NYSDEC CoRe Urban Forestry Grant (2024–2026) – A $382,316 award to support
ecological restoration, youth-led monitoring, and civic ecology education in Irvington
Woods Park. This grant funds targeted forest recovery interventions (e.g., invasive
species removal, deer mitigation, and replanting), GIS-based evaluation, and curriculum implementation through the ONC’s Forest Interns program. A local task force leads the initiative and prioritizes community governance, reflecting Irvington Woods’ status as home to the largest remaining wetlands in southern Westchester County.
Stewardship and Education
Stewardship and Education
ONC Community-Based Programming Overview—Overview of the community land stewardship programming from K-12th Grade at the O'Hara Nature Center
The Parks Department's CJ Reilly has led numerous significant stewardship projects in the Irvington Woods and O'Hara Nature Center.
Harvard Forest—Changing Forest Research Project—Long-Term Ecological Research Program on Forest Health and Dynamics (K - 12th Grade).
Cornell/NYSDOT Soil and Pollinator Research Project—Year-long research work with the Cornell Waste Management Institute and Department of Transportation to provide data on native plants and pollinators benefiting from them to develop roadside topsoil seed mixtures.
Vocational Independence Program—Irvington School District—Special education program for middle and high school students based around building vocational skills in landscape management, horticulture, and land stewardship with the Irvington School District.
Peter Oley Trailway System Community Project—Year-long community stewardship project with Irvington youth (K-12) focused on designing and implementing the new color-coded loop trailway system in Irvington Woods Park.
2022 DEC Tree Planting Project and Greater Irvington Land Trust (GILT) Deer Exclosure Grant
Old Growth Forest
Old Growth Forest
A potentially 318+-year-old White oak has been discovered in the Irvington Woods Park. Our O'Hara Nature Center's Director of Education and Head of Grounds and Operations, CJ Reilly, works with high school students to core trees and analyze them. Their research has revealed that we have a lot of White oaks between the ages of 170+ and 244+ years old. In other words, we have old-growth trees in Southern Westchester, which is rare given all the land loss due to farming during the 1600s - 1800s and housing and municipal development during the 1900s - 2000s, so it's quite a gem.
New Trail System
New Trail System
With the support of the Irvington Woods Committee, the Village of Irvington, the Irvington Recreation and Parks Department, the Irvington School District, the Irvington community, and volunteers, the Peter Olay Trailways system overhauled in put into place in the summer of 2022.
You can find the new Trail Map here or scroll below.
Hermit's Wetland
Hermit's Wetland
“The Hermit Rd. swamp can provide opportunities for nature-oriented passive recreation and is a good site for school nature studies. The entire course of Barney Brook from this swamp to the reservoir is rich in natural beauty and is a valuable natural resource for the Village of Irvington.” Overview Wetland Report
If you have an iNaturalist account you can see all the observations under the project "Irvington Woods Park - Hermit's Wetland” We have a significant colony of American featherfoil. This is an endangered species in NY state, the US forest service describe it as "a very beautiful and extraordinarily interesting aquatic wildflower” (https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/hottonia_inflata.shtml)
New Trail Map - click to expand
New Trail Map - click to expand
Tree Preservation Commission
Tree Preservation Commission
The village Tree Commission has been established to protect and preserve trees within the Village, whether municipal, commercial or residential, and to ensure review, regulation and inspection of any activity affecting trees that might adversely affect the health, safety and general welfare of the community.
The activities of the Tree Commission through review and approval of tree permits, outlining municipal tree policies and providing tree education, help the village and its residents to better serve as stewards of our air, water, land and living resources. It is our joint obligation to protect the environment for the use of this and future generations.
Learn more on the Irvington Village Tree Commission page
Tree Permit Application and Related Files PDF files for download: Tree Removal Permit Application (PDF)
Care of Trees After a Storm (PDF)
Trees for Tribs
Trees for Tribs
Over the years the Village of Irvington has participated in the NYS DEC's Trees for Tribs program, which has supplied bare-root trees and shrubs which have been planted in several places in the Irvington Woods, including above the reservoir. The Trees for Tribs program's goal "is to plant trees and shrubs along streams to create a forested riparian (streamside) buffer that helps decrease erosion, reduce flooding damage, improve wildlife and stream habitat, and protect water quality."
Learn more with the DEC NY here.
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