The city launched its first “Urban Forest Plan” with the goal of increasing the city’s tree canopy to 30% by the year 2040.

Currently, trees cover just under a quarter of the city, which varies from borough to borough.Read More…

New York City kicked off its first-ever Urban Forest Plan on Tuesday.Read More…

Brooklyn volunteers and community groups came together in Prospect Park on Oct. 4 to plant hundreds of native trees and plants as part of City of Forest Day, a citywide effort to raise awareness and celebrate New York City’s urban forest.Read More…

On October 5, Brooklyn College students, faculty, staff, and community members took part in the first Tree Mapping Party, counting and recording trees on campus, as part of an effort to make the city grow greener, become cooler, and sustain itself for New Yorkers of all backgrounds. The project supports Forest for All NYC, a program that aims for double the canopy cover on New York City’s five boroughs. The participants help track the health of New York City’s trees through observation.Read More…

“What we’re doing here is making sure we have another generation of forests coming up,” said park steward and organizer Mason Jenkins. “It’s good for temperature control, air quality, quality of life and biodiversity.”

In the weeks leading up to City of Forest Day, stewards worked to clear invasive species such as multiflora rose and English ivy from surrounding trees and walls, as it would risk the growth of new and current trees.

“We live in a city that has a lot of cement,” steward José Gamboa said. “We want to see more green. We want to breathe cleaner air.”Read More…

Fourth Annual ‘City of Forest Day’ Encourages New Yorkers to Appreciate, Enjoy and Care for Trees in NYC

With over 120 events, this city-wide day of action, education and fun celebrates and stewards our city’s vital trees across all five boroughsRead More…

Sophia Wohl, deputy director of stewardship, environment and planning at NYC Parks Department, talks about Saturday’s celebrations of City of Forest Day with events around town, plus offers guidance for caring for the trees and forests near you.Read More…

ROOSEVELT ISLAND CELEBRATES CITY OF FOREST DAY 2025

Free Forest Fun for All Ages

Join us Saturday, October 4th at Lighthouse Park from Noon to 4 PM to celebrate City of Forest Day and the urban tree canopy!

Noon to 2 PM get hands-on with tree planting and care as we add layers of mulch around nearly a hundred baby trees planted in 2022 to create a winter blanket of ground protection. Learn about birds who call our trees home.Read More…

A new lending library in Norwood is providing community members with essential tools to take care of the city’s trees. It’s a partnership between the James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center, The Nature Conservancy, the Lower East Side Ecology Center and other city organizations.Read More…

When most people picture New York City, they see skyscrapers, subways, and sidewalks, not trees. But here’s the surprise: more than 40% of the city is covered in green space (parks, street trees, community gardens, natural areas). Scientists call this the “urban canopy,” and it makes New York one of the greenest big cities in the country.Read More…