Climate change is on the agenda in Midtown Manhattan, where a forest of dead cedar trees has popped up as an eerie visual warning of our planet’s fragility.

Artist Maya Lin is behind the installation, dubbed Ghost Forest, which takes over the Oval Lawn at Madison Square Park Conservancy. The 49 Atlantic cedars were sourced from New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. The trees were cut down as part of a regeneration project of the ecosystem damaged by extreme weather caused by global warming.

Lim told Dezeen: ‘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.’

The copse is accompanied by a soundscape composed by Lim and will be in situ until 14 November 2021. During this time, the Conservancy will be hosting a programme of events with Lim and experts exploring nature-based solutions to climate change.

Ghost Forest is on show at Madison Square Park, New York, until 14 November 2021.

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