Mission

Trees New York’s mission is to plant, preserve, and protect New York City’s urban forest through education and community participation.

Trees New York was founded in 1976 as a volunteer response to New York City’s devastating cutbacks in forestry and tree-related community services. Trees New York has 50 years of experience in community tree planting, stewardship and education projects. Since its founding, Trees New York has trained over 13,500 Citizen Pruners and 9,000 youth in tree care and stewardship. In the past 10 years, Trees New York has planted over 5,000 trees in underserved communities throughout New York City.

This year, we’re celebrating an extraordinary moment: the 50th Anniversary of Trees New York! This milestone is more than just a celebration; it’s a tribute to five decades dedicated to planting, preserving, and protecting New York City’s urban forest. For half a century, Trees New York—powered by our dedicated volunteers, Citizen Pruners, and supporters like you—has nurtured our city’s urban forest through tree planting and stewardship. Each year, our Citizen Pruners remove dead and damaged limbs, promoting healthier, stronger trees. We create opportunities for students citywide to learn outdoors and care for their neighborhood trees, and our Young Urban Forester interns water hundreds of trees through the summer’s heat.

Our 50th anniversary celebration is more than an event; it’s a chance to strengthen Trees New York, because our mission is just as vital today as it was in 1976. 
 

Mission Statement: Our mission remains as vital today as it was five decades ago: to plant, preserve, and protect New York City’s urban forest through education and community participation.

Vision Statement: We envision taking a leadership role in the decades ahead to ensure a greener, healthier, more resilient city where every neighborhood benefits from a thriving tree canopy, and every New Yorker has the opportunity to connect with the urban forest.

Commitment Statement: As we celebrate this historic milestone, we recommit ourselves to expanding the city’s tree canopy through planting and stewardship, ensuring that future generations inherit a New York City with a healthy and resilient urban forest.

Trees New York recently changed its name from the New York City Street Tree Consortium. Please find our profile on Charity Navigator here: Charity Navigator – Rating for Trees New York Inc.