Artist and designer Maya Lin has installed 49 dead cedar trees in Downtown Manhattan's Madison Square Park to raise awareness of ecosystem die-off due to climate change.
Called Ghost Forest, the project was commissioned by Madison Square Park Conservancy. The dead Atlantic white cedar trees have been erected on The Oval Lawn of the park.
Ghost Forest is an installation of dead cedar trees
Lin transported the ghostly trees from where they were felled in the New Jersey Pine Barrens to draw attention to deforestation caused by climate change.
"I wanted to bring a ghost forest to the heart of Manhattan, and find trees that were as close to Manhattan as I could possibly source," explained Lin.
Lin placed the forest in Manhattan. Photo is by Maya Lin Studio The 49 trees had been damaged by issues related to the climate crisis and were being cleared in a regeneration project.
"They had died off due to extreme weather events related to climate change: wind events, fire, sea-level rise, saltwater infiltration and bad forestry practices," said the artist.

The installation will run for six months, during which time the park will visibly change with the seasons, while the dead cedars will turn even more spectral as they decay.
Standing in stark contrast with the living trees in the park, Lin said she wanted Ghost Forest's skeletal forms will invite passersby to confront the reality of the strain put on ecosystems by climate change.
The public is encouraged to int...