MillionTreesNYC is a Citywide, public-private initiative with an ambitious goal: to plant and care for one million new trees across the City's five boroughs over the next decade.
En español Community Calendar Get Involved Text: Sm Med Lg
Million Trees NYC - A PlaNYC initiative with NYC Parks and New York Restoration Project
Tree Planting and Care 101

When you plant a tree, you give a bountiful gift to NYC and all New Yorkers. The benefits of planting trees are many—cleaner air, more beautiful neighborhoods, energy savings, cooler streets in the summer—and mature trees return these benefits to New Yorkers year after year, and for future generations to come. When properly planted and cared for, trees are valuable community assets throughout their long lifespan.

This section provides detailed guidelines and tips for planting and caring for trees—from selecting a variety of tree and its appropriate size, to understanding how to properly water, mulch, prune, landscape, and maintain the area around newly planted and mature trees.

It will be important for you to ask some initial questions before you start.  For example,

  • Why are you planting your tree?
  • Do you want your tree to screen or frame a view?
  • Do you want a short flowering tree or a large shade tree?
  • What are the growing conditions in your yard?
  • What kinds of trees will do well in those conditions?

Proper selection and planting are crucial to the health and survival of every new tree. Choose your tree species carefully, select an appropriate site, plant the tree correctly and take care of it. There are many things to consider, and it is easy to be overwhelmed.  But the following sections will help guide you through and simplify the process.  If you follow these steps, you and other New Yorkers will be able to enjoy your tree for years to come.

To learn more about basic tree care, attend one of Partnerships for Parks' free monthly Caring for Street Trees workshops. You'll learn how to weed, water, and cultivate your young tree, receive a free set of tools, and a Parks Volunteer Permit to care for trees in parks, and greenstreets and along streets across the city.  Visit Partnerships for Parks' website for more information about these workshops as well as other programs for tree stewards. You can also consult a professional arborist who can help you through all of these steps.  Visit the International Society of Arboriculture to find a certified arborist in your area.

Helpful Resources:




MillionTreesNYC 2008