Youth Education


Trees New York’s hands-on tree care activities inspire students’ interest and commitment to the environment while enriching their academic potential.

Tree Stewardship
A hands-on stewardship program with activities for grades K-12. Remove litter from tree beds, pull invasive weeds, cultivate soil, add mulch, water and plant flowers or bulbs. Students are encouraged to adopt the trees they work on and register tree care activities on the NYC Street Tree Map.

Schools and Trees
A tree planting program for grades K-12 with a lesson on the importance of trees and how to care for them. School must have permission to plant trees on school property. Trees are planted with the students.

FruiTrees for Food Justice
A food-growing program given in four 2-hour sessions for grades K-12 to learn about where our food comes from, the importance of buying local food, and the fun of growing your own food. Lessons and activities: planting, pruning, pollination, soil science, carbon “foodprint” and fruit tasting. School must have fruit trees on the property in need of restoration or room on school property to plant fruit trees.

Young Urban Forester
A certificate program for grades 9-12. Four 2-hour sessions including tree ID, tree biology, tree stewardship and an introduction to professional opportunities in the environmental field. Hands-on field training and tree health diagnosis. Students are encouraged to adopt the trees they work on and register tree care activities on the NYC Street Tree Map.

Trees New York provides educational materials to support the lessons and aid students in their ongoing studies. Elementary school students receive Trees New York’s New York City Street Tree Activity Book and use their new knowledge to complete the fun activities. Activities require a basic understanding of tree-related concepts and include spelling, word recognition and reading comprehension.

If you are interested in learning more about our youth programming, please email info@treesny.org.