Central Park’sTrees- through the eyes of Ken Chaya (LOE)

I’ve been to New York a couple of times since I arrived in the US and I don’t remember ever thinking of it as home to a vast expanse of unique and diverse trees. That, however, changed after I worked on an assignment for ‘Living on Earth’, on the trees of Central Park. Host, Bruce Gellerman, walked through the park with tree-enthusiast and graphic designer Ken Chaya, who has spent the last two years counting and mapping 19,933 trees in the park to produce ‘Central Park Entire- The Definitive Illustrated Folding Map’.

The story provides a refreshing insight into landscape designer, Frederick Law Olmsted’s genius and vision of New York as a beautiful urban city. CLICK HERE to listen to the story and to glance through a slideshow of pictures taken by Bruce during his walk.

Ken Chaya, along with his partner Ned Barnard, has mapped 19,933 trees in Central Park and can recognize all 170 species of trees and shrubs. Credit- Living on Earth/Bruce Gellerman