Bryan Ellis loves being outdoors. Growing up north of the Adirondacks, he took his young love of the woods and turned it into a career.

“After going to graduate school for forestry. You want to work for the state to help you protect the resources that I loved. And I spent my youth," Ellis said.

He’s a Regional Forester for DEC Region 5.

"New York is 61% forested and has increased in forest area over the last 100 years. But in the last few years we've been losing forests in New York to development," he said.

Dr. Colin Beier, an associate professor at SUNY’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry, extensively researches forest ecosystems and landscapes. Dr. Beier echoes Ellis.

"We're losing a little bit every year to development, and there are some areas that are reforesting, but overall we're losing a little bit every year," Dr/ Beier said.

Development, not logging, as some may assume. Dr. Beier explains that distinction.

"Trees being cut is not the same thing as deforestation and forestry," Dr. Beier explained. "The practice of forestry and what we teach here at the college is about regenerating. The forest after trees are harvested and regenerating the forest based on what the landowner's goals are."

Dr. Beier also notes that forests are sometimes cleared for solar farms.

"That can have a negative consequence because you're all that carbon that's stored in those forests and the soils and the vegetation that all gets kind of lost to the atmosphere again, which is contradictory or it's counterproductive towards the objective that we have of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions," he said.

Ellis says invasive species and changes in the climate, such as precipitation, affect forests, too. 

We know forests help provide clean air and water, habitats for wildlife and locally sourced forest products.

Ellis says the government is also helping forest land owners and farmers to be climate smart. One way is through New York Connects: Climate Smart Farms and Forests.

"The state has a number of programs through generate New York and that connects grant that are you know creating assistance and ways to help people manage their land and improve the health and resilience of their forests," Ellis said.

Ellis also notes Gov. Kathy Hochul’s goal of having 25 million trees planted in the state by 2033.