By Tami Lin-Moges, The Nature Conservancy, and Tamar Renaud, Trust for Public Land | Politico
In New York City, parks and natural areas are some of the last free amenities, serving as a lifeline for residents. With the city’s more than seven million trees, these outdoor spaces form critical infrastructure that strengthens the city’s ability to adapt to climate change while providing joy and connection for residents, without adding to a family’s budget.
This year’s City budget offers a meaningful opportunity for Mayor Mamdani and the New York City Council to commit resources to the health and wellbeing of all New Yorkers. If leaders want to alleviate affordability challenges and help protect residents against climate change, now is the moment to invest in the green infrastructure that places those goals within reach.
Trees and parks can cut climate costs for the city
Flooding, extreme heat and poor air quality compound the financial burdens residents already face and put lives at risk. Yet a powerful mitigation tool is hiding in plain sight: New York City’s trees and parks. As the city’s Chief Climate Officer recently told Gothamist, New Yorkers are already paying the price for inaction through higher utility bills and the mounting costs of recovering from extreme weather, making climate solutions and affordability inseparable.
According to the New York State Comptroller, every dollar invested in climate readiness saves $6–$7 in avoided damage and economic loss, a crucial cost‑cutting strategy for a city confronting rising expenses across all sectors. The New York City urban forest — which includes over seven million trees across parks and natural areas, streets and backyards — already delivers over $260 million each year in services, including cleaner air, lower energy bills and stormwater absorption that prevents flooding. These benefits strengthen the well‑being and safety of New Yorkers, while also delivering meaningful savings for families and the city.
The New York City urban forest — which includes over seven million trees across parks and natural areas, streets and backyards — already delivers over $260 million each year in services, including cleaner air, lower energy bills and stormwater absorption that prevents flooding.
These natural resources cannot be taken for granted. For decades, budget cuts have eroded the very workforce responsible for maintaining these resources. And communities feel it, whether it’s a parent searching for a safe place for their kids to play or a senior trying to escape the heat on a treeless block.
Increasing NYC Parks’ budget is a necessary strategic investment
Without enough staff and operating support, the City struggles to fully leverage the benefits that its parks and trees can provide. From 2023 to 2026, NYC Parks lost more than 600 staff positions, and an additional 100 vacancies are slated for permanent elimination this year. The loss of these resources has tangible impacts on families when restrooms are closed, trails aren’t maintained, street tree requests are backlogged or playgrounds go unrepaired. But with proper funding, parks can do far more than stay clean and operational. They can become the backbone of a healthier, more livable city.
In Queens, we’re already seeing what it looks like when communities reimagine access to nature as a public service rather than a luxury. The QueensWay project offers a glimpse of what’s possible: transforming a long‑abandoned rail line into a safe, green corridor that finally connects neighborhoods to the open space they’ve lacked for generations. It’s the kind of investment that doesn’t just add trees or trails — it stitches communities together, supports healthier lifestyles and brings environmental benefits to areas that have been overlooked.
Expanding access to nature in neighborhoods that need it most improves livability and climate readiness for everyone. Strategic investment in parks and the urban forest is one of the most cost-effective climate solutions, and projects like the QueensWay show how transformative investments can be when paired with sustained operating support. We simply need to give this proven infrastructure the funding it requires to thrive and serve New Yorkers.
The Urban Forest Plan: Preparing for the city’s next chapter
The City recently released its first‑ever Urban Forest Plan, a 10‑year roadmap required by Local Law 148 that lays out how the city can reach 30 percent tree canopy — the umbrella-like, overhead layer of branches and leaves that provide shade and cooling across neighborhoods. Investing in the urban forest means more trees to clean the air of pollutants, cool the city in the summer months and offer free places to access nature that help improve human health and well-being. A healthy urban forest also helps the city absorb extreme rainfall, easing increasing pressures on overburdened drainage systems, reducing storm damage and saving public dollars that would otherwise be spent reacting to disasters rather than preventing them. But even the strongest plan can’t succeed without funding.
We are proud to be a part of the Forest for All NYC coalition calling on the Administration and New York City Council to allocate $150 million in this year’s budget to kickstart the first year of the Urban Forest Plan and rebuild the workforce needed to care for millions of trees and our city’s parks. This investment would restore and baseline needed NYC Parks positions, increase tree plantings and support tree maintenance across agencies.
Without these investments, New York City will miss an urgent opportunity to reduce rising costs and help the city adapt and respond to our changing climate.
We urge Mayor Mamdani and the New York City Council to fund its parks and urban forest in this year’s budget. The return on investment is clear. New Yorkers deserve a future where every neighborhood — regardless of ZIP code — has shade, fresh air, access to nature and protection from climate threats. With the right investments today, that future is within reach.
Original here.