Getting to a Million Trees: The City's Tree Planting Commitment

PlaNYC, Mayor Bloomberg's initiative to make NYC sustainable by 2030, includes a number of groundbreaking initiatives, such as planting street trees in all possible locations, creating 400 new Greenstreets, and reforesting 2,000 acres of parkland.

The Parks Department’s Street Tree Planting Program

With the new PlaNYC funding, the Parks Department will work steadily over the next decade to plant 220,000 new street trees in various ways:

  • Individual requests - Individuals may request trees to be planted in front of their homes and office buildings.
  • Block planting - The Parks Department will target blocks with few or no trees, planting on both sides of the street.
  • Automatic tree replacement - The Parks Department will automatically replace a tree after removal of a dead tree and/or stump.
  • Greenstreets -In addition, the Parks Department will identify and plant 80 new Greenstreets - unique garden areas set in median strips and traffic triangles filled with trees, flowering shrubs, and perennials - per year.

New Forest Creation

Nearly 40 percent of New York City’s parkland - approximately 11,000 acres - is still natural. This includes rocky shorelines and beaches, wetlands, meadows, and forests, which currently account for 6,000 acres of the total parkland. PlaNYC will provide funding to plant an additional 2,000 parkland acres of forest by 2017.

When reforesting a parkland site, the Parks Department takes certain steps to ensure successful tree planting:

  1. Examine existing forests in New York City as references for new forest creation.
  2. Select species best adapted to local soils, water requirements, and sunlight.
  3. Prepare the site by doing the following as needed:
    - remove invasive plants,
    - test and adjust soil chemistry, and
    - stabilize eroded soils.
  4. Engage volunteers and hire contractors to put trees in the ground.
  5. Monitor new forest health and take corrective action as needed.

Urban Forest Management Plans

Over the last several years, the Parks Department has developed a series of urban forest management reports focusing on individual parks or neighborhoods.  These reports follow a trend in urban forestry that has moved from a reactionary management of individual trees to a proactive, systematic, and strategic focus on the urban forest system as a whole. These management plans serve as a blueprint for future activities from planting, to tree care, community engagement, and education.

Download the reports

Crotona Park Urban Forest Management Plan [PDF]
Fort Greene Park Urban Forest Management Plan [PDF]
Far Rockaway Community Forestry Management Plan [PDF]
St. Nicholas Forest Management Plan [PDF]
East Harlem Urban Forest Management Plan [PDF]
Morrisania Community Forestry Management Plan [PDF]
East New York Community Forestry Management Plan [PDF]
Stapleton Community Forestry Management Plan [PDF]
Hunts Point Community Forestry Management Plan [PDF]