10-Year Plan Will Equitably Expand Tree Coverage to Promote a Healthier City

Public Engagement is Essential Part of the Plan, Which Will Require the Full Participation of New Yorkers Across Public and Private Property

November 21, 2024  
CONTACT: Kimberly Winston, [email protected], 917-853-6832

BRONX, NY – The Adams administration today announced the kickoff of the planning phase of the city’s first Urban Forest Plan at the Gil Scott-Heron Amphitheater in St. Mary’s Park in Mott Haven. Led by the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice (MOCEJ) in collaboration with NYC Parks, City Parks Foundation, and other partners and stakeholders, the Urban Forest Plan will outline strategies to equitably expand the city’s tree canopy to 30 percent to ease extreme heat and advance environmental justice. In addition to reducing the impacts of the urban heat island effect, urban trees also help to manage stormwater, beautify the streetscape, and reduce air pollution, among the many services they provide New Yorkers as essential living infrastructure. City Parks Foundation has applied for a $20 million grant from the federal government through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Community Change Grant Program on the city’s behalf, along with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and other key partners, to develop and implement the Urban Forest Plan. Local communities will be able to participate in the public process to design this essential plan for all New Yorkers, in an equitable way, to help expand tree canopy across public and private property.

“New York is the safest big city in the country, and the Urban Forest Plan is one of the ways we’re working to keep it that way,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Trees help to clean our air so we can breathe more easily, cool our neighborhoods — which are only getting hotter because of climate change — and even boost our mental health. This kickoff also allows us to make gains on another PlaNYC goal — just one of the many ways we’re continuing to deliver for New Yorkers, especially communities of color that have unfortunately borne the brunt of our climate crisis.”

“Trees are an essential multitool in our city’s future planning; they beautify our streets and parks, freshen our air, soak up our stormwater, and keep our communities cool during increasingly hotter summers,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “As we commit to a 30 percent tree canopy citywide, the city’s first Urban Forest Plan will be instrumental in ensuring it is equitable and successful.”

The launch of this phase of the Urban Forest Plan advances a goal in PlaNYC, Mayor Adams’s long-term strategic climate plan, to achieve a 30 percent tree canopy cover. The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has provided essential grants to City Parks Foundation and the Natural Areas Conservancy to strengthen urban forest stewardship and community engagement, as well as to provide technical assistance and content expertise, to advance this plan towards the 30 percent canopy goal.

Last October, the City Council passed Local Law 148 of 2023, requiring the city to create a citywide urban forest plan to further achieve this goal that shall be revisited every 10 years, which was supported broadly by the City Council, the Adams administration, the borough presidents, and the Forest for All NYC Coalition. This collaborative citywide effort will include preserving and stewarding existing trees as well as leveraging new opportunities for planting in natural areas; on streets and other open spaces; on city, state and federal property including NYC Parks properties; and on private properties, with public participation to ensure fair and equitable outcomes for New York City residents. 

NYC Parks manages and cares for close to 5.7 million of the city’s estimated 7 million trees, including those along city streets, within natural forests and throughout landscaped parks. This represents 81 percent of the city’s trees and over half of the canopy citywide. NYC Parks is coming off a record tree-planting year in FY24 with more than 18,000 trees planted, continuing a three-year trend of growth throughout the Adams administration. This marked the largest tree planting total in the last eight years and represents another critical step forward in the administration’s commitment to achieve 30 percent canopy cover across the city. Additionally, thanks to a $136 million capital investment made by the Adams administration in the FY23 Budget, NYC Parks expects to plant a tree in every viable spot in the most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods by the close of 2027.

The Urban Forest Plan also builds on the planting and stewardship already being done throughout NYCHA properties in partnership with Trees New York, supported by settlement funds through the New York State Attorney General’s office. These efforts have resulted in nearly 200 new trees planted across five NYCHA campuses with over 100 additional plantings planned for upcoming seasons.

“Today we are one step closer to meeting our PlaNYC goal of covering at least 30 percent of New York City in trees,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson. “But it’s not just about planting trees. It’s about growing and maintaining them, which will help ensure our most heat vulnerable environmental justice neighborhoods are protected during hot days. When the private sector, public institutions, and city agencies are coordinated, the New Yorkers of today and tomorrow reap the benefits.”

“As New York City experiences more frequent and intense rainfall, trees are a critical tool in stormwater management,” said New York City Chief Climate Officer and DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “As we work to develop the plan, we must find ways to encourage property owners big and small to do their part to expand our tree population. The climate crisis demands full cooperation, and the more people who understand the pivotal role trees can play, the better equipped we will be to deal with our changing climate.”

“Planting and maintaining a healthy tree canopy are crucial measures in the fight against climate change, and the 10-year Urban Forest Plan exemplifies this administration’s commitment to keeping New Yorkers safe from extreme weather,” said New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “New Yorkers rely on trees to provide respite from the heat, mitigate the effects of excess stormwater, and keep our air clean. NYC Parks manages over half of the city’s existing tree canopy, with experts in tree care and conservation ensuring their health and continued growth as they expand to cover more area with cooling shade. With the ambitious goal of achieving 30 percent canopy cover through planting and tree maintenance, we are proud to join the Adams administration in taking another step toward equity and environmental justice for every neighborhood in New York City.”

“NYCHA is undertaking a number of efforts to plant trees to enhance green spaces for residents and to contribute to the city’s tree canopy,” said NYCHA Chief Asset and Capital Management Officer Shaan Mavani. “We applaud the city for leading development of this Urban Forest Plan which will further our efforts on NYCHA campuses as well as tree-planting throughout the city – greener neighborhoods enhance the health and quality of life of all New Yorkers.”

“As the greenest borough in the city, the Bronx is home to some of New York City’s most beautiful parks and green spaces, but the distribution of tree canopy coverage is not equitable,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “This lack of greenspace has a disparate impact on our most marginalized communities, contributing to increased heat during the warmer months and, in more severe circumstances, heat-related mortality. The Urban Forest Plan is an important step forward in addressing these disparities. By expanding our city’s tree canopy to 30 percent, we can help alleviate the effects of extreme heat, improve air quality, and create healthier, more sustainable environments for all New Yorkers. I am proud to work alongside the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice, NYC Parks, and our partners to ensure that every community, particularly those that have historically been left behind, has access to the environmental and health benefits that urban trees provide. This plan is a collective effort to advance environmental justice and ensure our green spaces are truly inclusive for everyone.”

“Planting more trees in Queens and across our city is of utmost importance,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “If we want to make our city healthier and greener, we must plant more trees – and I’m glad to see the city is taking necessary steps to expand our tree canopy. I encourage our community members to get involved in the planning process, and can’t wait to see how much greener our city will become.”

“Although Brooklyn’s tree canopy has steadily grown since 2010, coverage remains the lowest of the five boroughs,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “The Urban Forest Plan will pursue justice in communities with long-neglected living infrastructure and pave the way for hitting 30 percent tree canopy cover citywide. I encourage all Brooklynites to participate in the public engagement process for the Urban Forest Plan and make their voices heard on how we can better deliver trees to their communities. Thank you to Mayor Adams, the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice, and NYC Parks for advancing this initiative.”

“Planting trees is one of the most important tools we have for ensuring a greener, more equitable future for New York,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “Increasing the city’s canopy cover will help keep neighborhoods cooler and will absorb storm runoff, both vital to mitigating climate change, as I’ve championed in my Million More Trees initiative. Thank you to the Mayor, the Parks department, and community partners for getting more trees into underplanted neighborhoods and building out the city’s urban forest.”

“Investing in our urban tree canopy is critical to combating the climate crisis and creating a more resilient city,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “The Council was proud to pass legislation requiring the creation of the Urban Forest Plan, with the goal of expanding tree canopy from the current 22 percent coverage to 30 percent. By working together, we can make New York City more habitable for all, providing residents relief from extreme heat and protecting our precious wildlife. Today’s announcement marks an exciting step forward to advancing our goals for environmental justice, which will benefit New Yorkers for generations to come.”

“Our city’s trees cool our communities, drain rainwater after storms, and provide a beautiful backdrop to the streetscapes of our neighborhoods,” said NYC Council Member Shekar Krishnan, Chair of the Committee on Parks and Recreation. “They are the lungs of our city. As chair of the council’s parks committee, I was proud to pass our city’s first urban forest plan to increase our city’s tree canopy. And I’m proud to support the administration as they get started on the first phase of executing on the plan and their partnership with fantastic partners like City Parks Foundation and Natural Areas Conservancy.”

“One of the main quality of life improvements constituents ask for is more trees,” said New York City Councilmember Gale A. Brewer. “They love their trees and support any program that protects or expands the tree canopy. The benefits of the tree canopy are undeniable and essential to the success of our city’s health and wellbeing, which is exactly why the Urban Forest Plan is so important.”

“Green spaces not only help to cool the city and clean our air, but also confer countless physical and mental health benefits for every New Yorker,” said The New York City Program at the Helmsley Charitable Trust associate program officer Emilie Fidock. “We are committed to supporting City Parks Foundation and the Natural Areas Conservancy as they bolster the city’s efforts to create the first-ever Urban Forest Plan, enhancing the tree canopy and increasing access to green spaces.”

“At Helmsley, our goal as a funder is to improve health stability for New Yorkers with complex health and social needs, and this includes supporting grantees working to strengthen and increase access to green spaces, which are an important part of the ecosystem that promotes health in underserved areas across the five boroughs,” said The New York City Program at the Helmsley Charitable Trust program officer Tracy Perrizo. “Since 2018, we’ve supported The Nature Conservancy’s work convening the Forest For All NYC coalition and we recognize the significance of their efforts culminating in this citywide plan to equitably expand the tree canopy.”

“We are grateful to The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust for their support in bringing the Urban Forest Plan to life to help cool street temperatures, curb pollution, and beautify New York City,” said City Parks Foundation executive director Heather Lubov. “Community participation is essential to design the urban forest in a way that is equitable and accessible for all New Yorkers, and we’re excited to have the opportunity to inform the public about this vital initiative and how they can be a part of it.”

“NYC’s natural areas provide tremendous environmental and health benefits for New Yorkers. From carbon and stormwater capture to keeping our communities cool, our forests and wetlands protect residents from some of the worst effects of climate change,” said Sarah Charlop-Powers, executive director, Natural Areas Conservancy. “But these benefits are not equitably distributed across the five boroughs. Some of our most heat vulnerable and flood-prone neighborhoods are, unsurprisingly, also the ones with the least amount of green space, which is why we’re working closely with the City Parks Foundation, Forest for All NYC, MOCEJ, and all of our partners to increase tree canopy across the city, particularly in the hottest places.”

“This is a moment to celebrate,” said New York executive director for The Nature Conservancy Bill Ulfelder. “Investing in nature and equitably expanding the urban forest across New York City, will reduce pollution, improve quality of life, and make neighborhoods more resilient to climate change, protecting frontline communities. The Nature Conservancy is proud to partner with Forest for All NYC and the City of New York to realize ambitious conservation goals and ensure community voices are represented.”

“We are excited to partner with the Mayor’s Office and other stakeholders to plan a sustainable tree canopy that helps improve the quality of life of the neighborhoods we live in and serve,” said Jen Hensley, senior vice president, Con Edison Corporate Affairs. “Together we can minimize storm impact to our customers and help bring beauty, cleaner air, and greater equity to the City’s Urban Forest Plan.”

“We are thrilled to see the planning kickoff of NYC’s first Urban Forest Plan, as required by Local Law 148 of 2023,” Shravanthi Kanekal, senior resiliency planner, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. “NYC-EJA, as part of the Forest or All NYC coalition, has been a strong proponent of NYC reaching the 30 percent canopy goal by 2035, while centering equity. Now is the moment for NYC’s leaders to advance the investments needed to protect, maintain, and most importantly grow the urban forest – with a focus on environmental justice communities.”