Clara Pregitzer and Kristen King

This talk will focus on applications of climate readiness to the management and monitoring of forested natural areas, with a focus on New York City. The Natural Areas Conservancy and NYC Parks will discuss a framework for understanding forest health, new approaches to adapting management and restoration practices to a changing climate, and the importance of urban forested natural areas in mitigating the impacts of climate change for New Yorkers. 

Speaker Biographies

Clara Pregitzer, Deputy Director of Conservation Science, Natural Areas Conservancy

Clara Pregitzer is the Deputy Director of Conservation Science at the Natural Areas Conservancy. In this capacity, she leads the organization’s research and conservation efforts in natural areas in NYC as well as other U.S. cities. She led the Forest Assessment component of the Natural Areas Conservancy Ecological Assessment for NYC parkland and the development of the Forest Management Framework. She previously worked with NYC Park’s Natural Resources Group, conducting ecological assessments in over 1500 acres of New York City Parks.She holds a B.S. in Forestry from Northern Arizona University, a M.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Tennessee and a PhD from Yale School of the Environment.

Kristen King, Chief of Natural Resources, NYC Parks

Kristy King is the Chief of Natural Resources in the Environment & Planning division of NYC Parks. Kristy has been with NYC Parks since 2007, when she joined a team of interns assessing young street tree mortality across the five boroughs. Kristy has also managed street tree planting contracts in Queens, published peer-reviewed research on the benefits of the urban forest, managed large contractor forest restoration work, and served as the Director of Forest Restoration and Director of Natural Areas Management prior to obtaining her current title. Kristy holds a BS in Biology from the College of Charleston and an MA in Conservation Biology from Columbia University. She is an ISA-Certified Arborist and a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner.