Hannah Freedman
Media Relations Manager
Email: Hannah.freedman@tnc.org
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 boroughs
(October 4, 2025 — New York, NY) Today, Forest for All NYC, in partnership with Parks and Open Space Partners NYC, and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, celebrates the fourth-annual City of Forest Day. Today’s day of action and celebration brings New Yorkers together across all five boroughs to learn about the benefits of our urban forest and encourages participation in the ongoing stewardship of trees across the city. Event hosts have put together engaging programs that invite New Yorkers to learn about, care for and celebrate trees and their role as the “lungs” of our city.
This year there are more than 120 events including a sunrise hike in Staten Island, street tree care opportunities in Red Hook, Gowanus, Dyker Heights, Lower East Side, Astoria, Coney Island and many more, as well as programs at libraries, museums and cultural institutions including the King Manor Museum in Jamaica Queens, Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden in Staten Island, Wave Hill and New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Queens Botanical Garden. City of Forest Day will also feature events offered in Arabic, Urdu, Chinese, and Spanish, along with more than 65 family-friendly activities designed especially for children.
In the past three years since the inaugural City of Forest Day, New Yorkers have contributed to an ongoing increase in support for our tree canopy, including by participating in the development of the City’s first-ever Urban Forest Plan. With the leadership of the Mayor’s Office for Climate and Environmental Justice, the Urban Forest Plan will be the first comprehensive management plan of the trees of New York City, taking into account the input of over 7,000 people who responded to a public questionnaire and attended events throughout spring 2025. Forest for All NYC member organizations have been working together for years to bring about more effective and coordinated consideration of trees and the health and equitable distribution of tree canopy as part of the city’s broader sustainability planning.
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said, “The annual City of Forest Day offers New Yorkers a meaningful opportunity to engage with the city’s greenery and understand its importance in public health and their communities. This day highlights how New York’s urban forest plays an essential role in the city’s resilience against climate change. I encourage everyone to attend an event near them and connect with the city’s remarkable urban forest.”
NYC Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa said, “City of Forest Day offers New Yorkers a chance to get hands-on with caring for our urban forest. With events across all five boroughs, there’s something for everyone—from tree planting and forest restoration to educational walks and family-friendly activities. This is your chance to step outside, connect with your neighbors and take direct action to strengthen the green infrastructure that keeps our city healthy and resilient. NYC Parks encourages all New Yorkers to join us in this citywide celebration and discover how rewarding it can be to give back to the trees that give so much to us every day.”
The Nature Conservancy director of the New York Cities Program Tami Lin-Moges said, “City of Forest Day is all about recognizing the important role of trees and the people who care for them. We are proud to be the convener and a leading member of Forest for All NYC, a coalition of over 180 organizations working to protect, maintain and grow the urban forest to reach 30% canopy cover across NYC. It is events like City of Forest Day and year-round care of the urban forest by so many tree stewards that will help New York City reach this goal and make a greener and healthier city for all.”
Parks and Open Space Partners co-chairs Morgan Monaco and Merritt Birnbaum said, “Parks and Open Space Partners—a coalition of 45 organizations in NYC—is proud to present City of Forest Day along with our colleagues in the Forest for All NYC coalition and NYC Parks. With over 100 events taking place across all five boroughs, City of Forest Day is an ideal opportunity for New Yorkers to cultivate connection to their communities by engaging with their neighborhood parks—spaces that are essential to the health and inclusivity of our city.”
Executive Director of Trees New York Nelson Villarrubia said, “Now in its fourth year, City of Forest Day is the largest celebration of trees in New York City! With nearly 100 grassroots organizations participating from all five boroughs, City of Forest Day connects New Yorkers with their urban forest in fun and meaningful ways. Trees are critical to the health and well-being of our city, and all of us at Trees New York are excited to connect with our volunteers and Citizen Pruners on City of Forest Day! This day is a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of trees and to get involved in protecting them.”
Executive Director of City Parks Foundation Heather Lubov said, “Trees matter deeply to communities. While leading community engagement on the city’s first Urban Forest Plan, we heard loud and clear from New Yorkers across every borough that they value trees for cooling hot summer streets, beautifying our neighborhoods and making our parks healthy and inviting places for all New Yorkers. City of Forest Day embodies the spirit of stewardship and community that is vital to meeting the Urban Forest Plan’s central goal: expanding New York City’s tree cover to 30%. We are proud to support City of Forest Day and the thousands of New Yorkers who care for their trees, parks, and open spaces year-round.”
DEC Regional Director Antonia Pereira said, “DEC is proud to partner with Forest for All NYC in support of the fourth annual City of Forest Day celebration to bring attention to the important role that our urban forests play in our everyday lives. This citywide day of celebration encourages stewardship of urban forests and public engagement in the caring of our trees—one of our most precious resources. Each year our Environmental Educators participate in City of Forest Day by hosting events across the five boroughs and this year we invite you to join team DEC at St. Francis Woodlands in Staten Island to learn about forest health and giving back to the forest that gives so much to us.”
Director of Local Nature Lab Georgia Silvera Seamans said, “City of Forest Day is a powerful day of action and celebration that brings New Yorkers together across all five boroughs to learn about the benefits of our urban forest. At Local Nature Lab, we design hands-on experiences that deepen people’s relationships with more-than-human nature and highlight the importance of biodiversity. It is inspiring to see so many New Yorkers participate in the ongoing stewardship of trees, recognizing the vital role the urban forest plays in supporting the health and well-being of all New Yorkers—wildlife included—and improving the livability of our city.”
Prospect Park Alliance President Morgan Monaco said, “New York City’s urban forest, including Prospect Park’s 30,000+ trees, is a true lifeline for our community and a vital habitat for wildlife. In the face of climate change, it is more essential than ever to celebrate our urban forest and to do our part to sustain our hardworking trees, which improve air quality, cool our earth and make our communities happier and healthier. Prospect Park Alliance is excited to take part in the fourth annual City of Forest Day with volunteer planting opportunities and family-friendly nature education activities in Brooklyn’s Backyard.”
Coordinator of the Greenbelt Nature Center Jessica R. Kratz said, “It has been great to feel a sense of community as part of City of Forest Day as we hike in the forest of Staten Island’s Greenbelt among the falling leaves, learning about various kinds of trees and the many benefits of the urban forest. It’s wonderful to hear from participants about the events they are attending and the activities they participate in outdoors. City of Forest Day is an opportunity to observe and learn more about what is changing color and winding down for the fall.”
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Forest for All NYC is a diverse coalition of over 180 organizations across the business, nonprofit, conservation and environmental justice sectors committed to protecting, maintaining and growing the New York City urban forest by implementing the NYC Urban Forest Agenda. The Nature Conservancy is the convener and a leading Forest for All NYC member. The coalition seeks to increase the New York City tree canopy cover to at least 30% coverage by 2035 (up from 22% in 2017) in an equitable manner across the city, and this can only be achieved through the engagement of all New Yorkers to help care for the urban forest. City of Forest Day honors the coalition’s commitment to establishing a citywide educational and tree stewardship event.
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