Meet the Man Who Counted and Mapped Almost 20,000 Central Park Trees

By Bob Eckstein

When I first met Ken Chaya, I found him immediately enthralling, a typical eccentric Upper West Sider. The birder and graphic designer was giving a tour based on his additional field of expertise: the trees of Central Park. Along with his colleague Edward Sibley Barnard, Ken had spent two-and-a-half years counting and mapping almost 20,000 Central Park trees and published “Central Park Entire: The Definitive Illustrated Folding Map.” When unfolded, the map is three feet tall. (At this time the map is sold out, but it is available as an interactive app for all iPhone users at the Apple App Store under Central Park Entire.)

It’s actually quite easy for you to meet Ken as well. He is not only the instructor of the “Natural History of Insects,” “Natural History of Birds,” and the “Ecology of the Bronx River” courses at the New York Botanical Garden, but gives tours at the most beautiful urban parks in New York City, including Central Park, Fort Tryon Park, Inwood Hill Park, and Van Cortlandt Park. He has produced numerous books on travel, American history, and nature, and lives with his wife on the Upper West Side.

WSR: Hit me with some fun tree facts.

Ken Chaya: The largest living single entity in the world is the Giant Sequoia, which can measure 23 feet in diameter and grow to a height of 280 feet. The oldest living terrestrial life form on the planet is “Methuselah” a Bristlecone Pine found in California that is believed to be 4,789 years old. Trees can boast of being the oldest and largest entities. They provide us with medicine, wood, food, fuel, sap, and flowers (and yes, oxygen).

WSR: What is the oldest tree in Central Park? 

KC: Good question. It’s hard to answer because we usually don’t know the true age of a tree until after it has come down and the annual growth rings can be determined. I personally counted 177 annual growth rings in an ancient oak tree that fell during a storm in 2009. At the time of the ring count I was standing inside the hollow trunk of the tree. The space where the heartwood (the middle of the tree) should have been was completely hollowed out from age and large enough for me to walk a few steps in either direction. Beginning with the documented 177 growth rings that I counted, one can only speculate as to the true age of this tree. Was it 200 years old? 300? Maybe even 400? One thing is for certain, it was standing well before Olmsted and Vaux began designing the park in 1858.

WSR: I understand Central Park was once a swamp, relatively speaking not that long ago.

KC: The picturesque area known as the Lake, where rowboats can be rented, was a polluted, malarial swamp when construction of the park began. The pollution was caused by the dumping of waste created by slaughterhouses, bone boiling, matchmakers, and other “dirty businesses” that were forced to move further away from the residential communities at the southern end of the island. Olmsted and Vaux literally drained the swamp. They dug it out to create a lake and added a contoured shoreline that meandered in such a way that from nowhere on the shore or even in a rowboat could one see the entire body of water. The body of the Lake curved into hidden coves and disappeared around sharp bends, seemingly endless. In this way, Olmsted and Vaux brilliantly created the illusion of even greater space in a narrow park area that is only a half mile wide.

WSR: What is something else about Central Park that would surprise the average New Yorker?

KC: The original plan for the park, called the “Greensward Plan,” devised by Vaux and Olmsted, extended only from 59th Street to 106th Street. The additional 100 or so acres that now run all the way to 110th Street were purchased and added while the park was being built. Olmsted and Vaux must have been dancing with glee when they got the news. Here was a wild, densely forested area, with immense bluffs of Manhattan schist that burst from the ground, defensive forts constructed during the war of 1812, and natural springs that connected with a tidal salt marsh that flowed all the way across Manhattan from the Harlem River into what is now the Harlem Meer. All of these natural features were now theirs to add to the work of art that has become the most popular urban park in the world.

WSR: How did you come to be a Central Park foliage expert? 

KC: A good friend, Ned Barnard, author of “New York City Trees,” came to me and explained that he was beginning work on a new book about the trees and landscapes of Central Park. He was looking for someone to create illustrated tree maps of the park and he thought that my familiarity with the park combined with my design background made me an ideal candidate. We met one afternoon and began exploring the park together. Although I had been looking at birds for 20 years in that park, I had not paid much attention to what trees they were sitting in. Once I began to “see” trees, the park became a whole new place for me. It was like suddenly seeing new colors or patterns for the first time.

WSR: What about other favorite green spaces on the UWS?

KC: Fortunately, I have two great NYC green spaces — Riverside Park and Central Park — on either side of me. I enjoy the islands of life on the Broadway Malls that separate the traffic lanes. And I like standing at the crest of West 106th Street and being able to look down towards Central Park to the east and Riverside Park to the west. Riverside Park is fantastic for sunsets on the Hudson. Observing nesting ravens on the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and then having the poppy seed cake with a coffee at the Hungarian Pastry Shop is about as good as life gets.

WSR: What is your favorite celebrity sighting in Central Park? 

KC: I once met David Allen Sibley, the author of the celebrated Sibley bird guides. He was birding of course. On another occasion I met Jonathan Franzen. Last week I met Amy Tan. I told her that I loved her book, “The Backyard Bird Chronicles.” I was delighted to hear her say how much she enjoys my tree map.

WSR: What is the most unusual thing to have happen on one of your tours?

KC: I found a huge green iguana over two feet long. It must have been someone’s escaped pet.

WSR: What would you like to see changed about the park?

KC: I would like to see more focus on preserving and protecting the park’s natural habitats and restoring native plants. Thriving communities need — and should have — facilities like public swimming pools, ice-skating rinks, outdoor theaters, sports fields etc. However, in a public park these should not come as a result of the loss of vital plants and animals that depend on these fragile areas for survival. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux wanted Central Park to be a respite from the city, a place where one could escape the hustle and bustle and walk among great trees and open green spaces and feel restored and recharged. For many New Yorkers, this oasis of green is the only accessible alternative to the harsh grid of city life.

Ken Chaya leads bird walks for the Linnaean Society of New York on Tuesday mornings in Central Park during migration season. They are free, but require registering at their website: https://www.linnaeannewyork.org/#trip. Those interested in a private tour may contact Ken for more information at: kenchaya0@gmail.com

Bob Eckstein creates the WSR Cartoon every Friday.

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