Our office is thrilled to be implementing an ambitious street tree plan for every neighborhood in District 33! We are filling every viable street tree location across our community, and we will strive to ensure street trees across our community are well cared for and healthy in order to have maximal benefits for our neighborhoods.
Tackling the climate crisis at the local level is a top priority of our Council office. In 2022, we released our Climate Road Map, spelling out the actions we are taking to mitigate the climate crisis in District 33. One critical goal is to reduce the urban heat effect. With record breaking heat waves over the past few summers, we are no strangers to the increased prevalence of extreme weather -- which poses serious health risks for our most vulnerable community members.
When I talk to experts about fighting back against climate change - the solution I hear most often is surprisingly simple: trees. Improving and stewarding our tree canopy is one of the most consequential ways we can lower urban heat and protect our health in the face of this climate crisis. Moreover, a healthy tree canopy has a huge number of other environmental, social, biodiversity and economic benefits.
Here’s how we are working realize these benefits together:
Plant More Trees!
We are going to plant 3,400 new street trees! In coordination with my office, the NYC Parks Department has committed to planting 2,200 trees over the next four years. Our office will fund an additional 1,200 trees at a cost of at least $2.5 million dollars - to be funded through a combination of our office’s budget allocation and the creation of a District 33 Street Tree Fund. Together, this investment will max out District 33’s street tree capacity.
Install Your Own Tree Guard
Our office created a new, beautiful, inexpensive tree guard for District 33! We partnered with Big Reuse to make it more affordable and simple for neighbors to install new tree guards in front of your home, school, place of worship, or wherever a tree guard is needed.
This is part of our commitment to help combat the climate crisis by planting new street trees and keeping those trees healthy. Tree guards are essential to protecting our street trees and ensuring we have a healthy urban tree canopy to reduce extreme heat and mitigate stormwater runoff. Unfortunately, tree guards have been difficult to install and super expensive - typically costing over $1,000.
We launched a new website to make it easy to apply for a tree guard permit, purchase Parks-approved pre-cut materials from Big Reuse, and borrow a free tool set with a refundable deposit. And if you live in District 33 and need assistance with your tree guard installation, we are funding a limited number of free installations by Big Reuse for our constituents this spring. Please fill out this form to request free installation and we will be in touch.
More care for the street trees we have!
All of us can play a role in keeping new and existing trees healthy and ensuring they help protect our climate for decades to come.
Tree Stewardship Events
We’re hosting tree stewardship events in partnership with existing tree stewardship groups and community organizations on an ongoing basis to help activate neighbors and get folks excited about our beautiful street trees. We will continue to host tree bed maintenance and composting volunteer events with partners like BigReuse and Newtown Creek Alliance. Additionally, we are organizing to stand up tree stewardship groups in every neighborhood in our district!
Sign up now to get involved in Tree Stewardship in your community!
Also, please check out NYC Parks Department training opportunities throughout the year.
Take Action On Your Block Now!
You can start providing street tree care on your block today!
District 33 Tree Stewardship Map - Tag a tree to care for in your neighborhood!
Check out our new map, where you can tag a tree to care for in your neighborhood. Our goal with the District 33 Street Tree Stewardship Map is to help grow volunteer engagement at a neighborhood level and track our progress. Our map utilizes open data and is a supplement to the New York City Tree Map, not a replacement. We still strongly encourage all tree stewards to log their tree care on the New York City Tree Map, by following the instructions on their My Trees page on the District 33 Street Tree Stewardship Map.
Here are some quick tips that you can share with neighbors to help ensure that the street trees in front of your home or business are being cared for.
Remove refuse from the tree bed and weed. (Please be careful not to pull intentional plantings by neighbors.)
Cultivate the soil by adding compost (only ½ inch per year) and mulch, but please protect the tree roots. Loosen soil gently (max 1 inch deep) to alleviate compaction. Mix in a thin layer of compost (max ½ inch deep). Add a layer of mulch (max 2 inches deep) to help keep the soil moist and reduce weeds. Keep compost and mulch at least 6 inches away from the trunk and major roots.
Water your street trees once a week between May and October and water them slowly. (15-20 gallons or 3-4 large buckets, at 1 gallon per minute).
Plant carefully around street trees. Choose small and shallow rooted annuals, perennials, and bulbs that require minimal watering and plant them at least a foot away from the tree trunk. Avoid digging large holes and planting large plants that may damage tree roots. Please be mindful not to raise the soil level around the tree roots. And, of course, only plant if you are going to water.