NYC officials call on Mayor Adams to ‘aggressively’ pursue funding to increase the city’s tree population

As temperatures continue to rise, so does the threat of heat-related injuries. And with summer drawing nearer, some New York City officials are putting pressure on Mayor Eric Adams to find more funding as a means to increase the city’s population of shade-providing trees.

In a letter to City Hall exclusively obtained by Gothamist, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Councilmember Shekar Krishnan implored the mayor to explore more state and federal funding, meet staffing requirements and make forestry positions within the parks department more accessible.

It is “imperative” that the city “commit to strategies that address the challenge of rising heat and insufficient tree canopy,” reads the letter to Adams.

“I think everyone knows that trees provide shade — which is wonderful on a hot summer day — but I don’t think people realize the extent to which they cool a neighborhood,” Levine said in an interview.

As many as 370 New Yorkers die each year from heat-related injuries, according to data from the city health department. Children, older people and those living in low-income and majority-minority neighborhoods are particularly susceptible to sweltering temperatures. And with citywide temperatures expected to rise as much as 4.7 degrees higher within the next six years, there’s concern that the number of fatalities could increase.

And the city is still a long way from fulfilling an initiative to plant 1 million more trees throughout the five boroughs by 2030 after successfully planting one million trees by 2015 under a Bloomberg-era program.

The trees that do exist in the city, on average, fall 30% below the potential shade they could produce, according to a study from Cornell University published last year.

The multipage letter sent this week also reminds Adams of his campaign promise to dedicate 1% of the city’s entire budget to the parks department. Instead, the department is facing $55 million in budget cuts, as previously reported by Gothamist.

The strategies are being touted as one way Adams can “aggressively pursue federal aid and state funding opportunities” as the agency remains cash-strapped.

And despite being more than halfway through his term, Adams recently proposed allocating roughly half of 1% of the city’s $112 billion budget for fiscal year 2025, which begins in July.

Levine and Krishnan also called on Adams to reduce the degree requirements for the forester civil services title and create a training program for parks employees who are interested in forestry. The officials also said they want to see the inclusion of a comprehensive tree maintenance plan for its NYCHA program, which provides 1,000 acres of tree canopy.

City Hall Deputy Press Secretary Liz Garcia said more trees were planted, pruned and inspected in fiscal year 2024 than in the previous year. She also said that savings programs and better-than-expected revenues allowed City Hall to restore funding to several programs in the preliminary and executive budgets, including the Parks Opportunity Program, which pays low-income New Yorkers to help maintain city parks.

"The data is clear: Our parks are safer and better maintained than they were this time last year," Garcia said in an email. "As we’ve always said, we are aiming to reach the 1% target during our administration."

This story has been updated with comment from City Hall.