Most In A Decade: NYC Under Mamdani Plants Over 18,000 Trees

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY – New York City planted 18,261 trees in fiscal year 2026, the most in a single fiscal year since 2016, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura announced September 23.

Most of the new trees were planted in neighborhoods vulnerable to extreme heat. The city’s Urban Forest Plan calls for reaching 30% canopy coverage by 2040.

NYC Parks began preparing for the planting season earlier this year by working with nurseries to increase the available supply of trees. The agency also harvested many trees before spring bud-break and continued watering and mulching newly planted trees through the summer.

NYC Parks said it will use the same approach ahead of the fall planting season.

The trees were planted across all five boroughs, including Williamsbridge and Mott Haven in the Bronx; East Flatbush, Bushwick and Brownsville in Brooklyn; West and East Harlem and the Lower East Side in Manhattan; and Long Island City, Elmhurst and South Ozone Park in Queens.

“Our administration is building a city where every neighborhood can find cool shade on a hot day, breathe clean air and enjoy the beauty of a healthy tree canopy,” Mamdani said. He added that access to green space should not depend on a resident’s ZIP code.

Shimamura said the city’s trees provide vital shade and that NYC Parks is working to bring that benefit to areas that need it most.

Chief Climate Officer Louise Yeung said the city’s plan would help expand tree planting in neighborhoods that need it most.

New York City is home to more than 7 million trees spanning more than 100 species.