Parks Department Aims To Plant 18,000 Street Trees Annually

NEW YORK CITY – The Parks Department is set to overhaul its street tree planting efforts with a new strategy that aims to fill "every available" street tree location across the city by 2035, according to a press release.

The plan, unveiled by Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue, sets a goal of planting 18,000 trees annually, covering every community board in a three-year rotation.

It’s a departure from the previous system, wherein street tree requests were handled individually, leading to a backlog of over 42,000 as well as unpredictable timelines of between 2 to 7 years for new plantings.

The new approach prioritizes areas most vulnerable to extreme heat, with a focus on neighborhoods with high Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI) scores where residents face increased health risks from rising temperatures.

Heat kills an estimated 350 New Yorkers every summer, according to NYC Health, and black New Yorkers are particularly at risk, with a heat-stress death rate that is twice as high as that of white New Yorkers.

In Manhattan, neighborhoods Parks will prioritize include West Harlem, East Harlem, and the Lower East Side. These neighborhoods will see intensified tree planting efforts, with the department aiming to fill every viable tree location by the end of 2027, funded by a $136 million capital boost from the Adams administration.

"Trees aren't just beautiful parts of our natural environment – they're critical tools for combating the effects of climate change," said Commissioner Donoghue. "We are proud to roll out this innovative approach to tree planting, which will ensure that every neighborhood receives the services they need on a regular, systematic basis.”

The strategy also includes additional streetscape improvements, such as removing dead trees and replacing stumps, in order to create a more consistent urban canopy.