Future Forest NYC
The urban forest makes New York City more livable. Discover how we’re working to expand, protect and advocate for this critical resource for everyone.
Imagine it’s a hot summer morning in New York City. You’re walking to work, weaving through stretches of concrete and skyscrapers that radiate heat and offer little relief. Then you turn onto a tree-lined block. A canopy of leaves provides shade, the air feels cooler and, for a moment, your walk becomes more comfortable.
Did you know that across New York City, more than 7 million trees live in tree beds, on sidewalks, in public parks, in natural areas, in backyards and at the institutions where we live, work and play? Together, these trees—and the physical and social infrastructure that support them—make up the New York City urban forest, a vital system that provides countless benefits to all New Yorkers. Trees enhance our quality of life and improve health and well-being by cleaning and cooling the air and reducing heat-related illness. But their many benefits do not reach everyone equitably.
“As someone who lives and works in New York City, I see firsthand how extreme heat is already affecting our neighborhoods—and we know it’s only going to get worse,” says Tami Lin-Moges, New York cities director for The Nature Conservancy. “Across the five boroughs, it’s clear that blocks with more trees and green space feel noticeably cooler in the summer. Unfortunately, trees and their many benefits are not evenly distributed across NYC. Many of the neighborhoods most vulnerable to extreme heat tend to be lower-income communities or communities of color and have fewer trees.”
In April 2026, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice released its first-ever Urban Forest Plan, a long-term roadmap that outlines how to achieve 30% tree canopy cover equitably across the five boroughs and on public and private property by 2040. This marked a turning point for New York City’s urban forest.
The NYC Urban Forest Plan is the result of years of advocacy, collaboration, data analysis and sustained investment by TNC and more than 200 members of the Forest for All NYC coalition. This collective advocacy led to the passage of Local Law 148 in 2023, which formally mandated the creation of the Urban Forest Plan and established a citywide goal of achieving 30% canopy cover—a target originally advanced by TNC and members of the NYC Urban Forest Task Force in its 2021 NYC Urban Forest Agenda.
Beyond advocacy, TNC was deeply involved in shaping the plan itself—providing financial support, offering technical expertise and working alongside coalition partners and subject matter experts to ensure their voices are reflected.
Expanding and caring for the city’s tree canopy is more than an environmental goal. It is a critical public health, resilience and livability strategy that can help reduce heat-related illness, save lives and ease the strain of rising energy costs.
For the first time, NYC has a clear, shared vision for what our urban forest can be, and that’s incredibly exciting. The NYC Urban Forest Plan is the result of years of collaboration between communities, organizations, advocates and City leaders, and it shows what’s possible when we work together.
Our Future: A Healthy and Equitable Urban Forest
For communities in New York City to thrive, our trees need a clear, coordinated vision and more champions. A healthy urban forest makes our city more livable for everyone and helps tackle both the causes and effects of climate change.
That is why TNC launched Future Forest NYC in 2019, an initiative to assure the future of the New York City urban forest―and the social and environmental benefits it provides―in a just and equitable way. Despite the importance of the New York City urban forest and its perennial needs for care and maintenance, there is no dedicated, long-term funding for managing this resource in the years ahead. There are also few protections for trees from being cut down on public or private property, and they continue to face threats from invasive pests and pathogens compounded by climate change.
Achieving our goal of a healthy and expanded urban forest requires good science, an inspired vision, powerful and effective voices, a diverse and committed community, and opportunities to connect New Yorkers to their trees.
Future Forest NYC has three main efforts underway:
- Communicate the latest science to inform solutions.
- Convene and serve as a leading member of Forest for All NYC.
- Engage New Yorkers in tree care activities.
Communicating the latest science to inform solutions to the challenges we face.
In The State of the Urban Forest in NYC report, TNC provides a novel assessment of the urban forest across public and private land in New York City through multiple lenses, based on new analysis and synthesis of existing research. This report establishes a common baseline understanding of the urban forest, how it is managed, regulated, regarded, funded and cared for, as well as opportunities for improvement.
Building on this broader assessment, Growing Greener: The State of Tree Canopy in New York City takes a closer look at how the city’s tree canopy is changing and what is needed to meet New York City’s goal of 30% canopy cover by 2040. This report shows that the city’s canopy cover increased by 1.2% between 2017 and 2021—an encouraging acceleration compared to prior years—while also highlighting persistent inequities that leave many neighborhoods without the health and environmental benefits of trees. Trees deliver essential services, from cooling neighborhoods and improving air quality to reducing stormwater impacts and enhancing quality of life. Together, these findings provide actionable insights to guide more effective and equitable strategies to expand and steward the New York City urban forest.
TNC also analyzes the “practical canopy” in New York City—the opportunity for additional tree canopy that will help achieve the ambitious and attainable goal of reaching 30% tree canopy cover citywide by 2035. Our analysis accounts for various real-world constraints, such as nearby buildings and land use, in Understanding Opportunities for Urban Forest Expansion to Inform Goals: Working Toward a Virtuous Cycle in New York City.
Convening and serving as a leading member of Forest for All NYC.
TNC convenes and is a leading member of Forest for All NYC, a diverse coalition of non-profit, business, academic, for-profit and government organizations committed to creating a healthy, biodiverse, accessible and resilient urban forest that delivers benefits to all New Yorkers justly and equitably.
To achieve this vision, the coalition is advancing the NYC Urban Forest Agenda, which includes actionable recommendations for how to improve and enhance New York City’s urban forest through planning, stewardship and policy; local action by the public; and increased investments in trees across public and private lands. And we are already seeing this vision take hold through meaningful progress across the city. The coalition’s sustained leadership helped drive the passage of two landmark pieces of legislation (Local Laws 135 and 148 of 2023)—important milestones that will shape a healthier, more equitable urban forest.
Engaging New Yorkers in tree stewardship.
Because caring for trees is essential for ensuring their long-term survival, TNC also plans and supports neighborhood-based stewardship activities that address locally relevant challenges identified by project partners and volunteers. These efforts encourage New Yorkers to build connections and develop a lasting commitment to caring for the urban forest in their communities.
TNC has also been a leading partner in organizing the annual City of Forest Day since 2022. This citywide day of free activities helps educate New Yorkers about the benefits of our urban tree canopy and encourages participation in its care. City of Forest Day takes place every October and has grown to include over 100 events across all five boroughs.
The New York City urban forest also depends on a skilled local workforce to plant, maintain and steward these green spaces over time. TNC has supported Green City Force, a green workforce development group, to strengthen their urban forestry work with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). As one of the largest holders of tree canopy outside the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, NYCHA campuses play an important role in supporting the urban forest and delivering its benefits to New Yorkers. Trained youth residents of NYCHA have inventoried trees across NYCHA developments, helping to better understand these valuable greenspaces, grow green job skills and inform the management of NYCHA’s urban forest.
