New York City has a lot of trees - over 5.2 million of them! Some live in our city’s parks, more than a few live in our backyards (for those lucky enough to have them), and many of them live right on the streets. They provide New Yorkers with fresh air and shade, and give us some relief from the hustle and bustle by giving us a glimpse of nature.
But 5.2 million?! Who’s taking care of all these trees? MillionTreesNYC (MTNYC) set out to put that responsibility directly into the hands of everyday New Yorkers.
MTNYC is one of many campaigns that are a part of PlaNYC, an effort started in 2007 to prepare the city for the projected growth to 9.1 million residents by 2030. MTNYC’s initial goal was to plant one million trees throughout the five boroughs to improve air quality and beautify the city. The program met that goal in late 2015, and increased the number of trees in New York City by 20 percent.
But rather than just planting trees and forgetting about them, the program builds on its original goal by encouraging individuals and businesses in the city to get involved and care for the plant life that surrounds them. One way you can do this is to check out MTNYC’s TreeLC map, find trees in your neighborhood in need of help, and adopt them. From there, you can provide specialized care for your tree (in addition to the attention that the NYC Parks Department gives every street tree), track its progress, install tree guards, and even join Stewardship Projects to care for trees in other neighborhoods.
Radish Lab recently became the proud parents of two Japanese Tree Lillies (one young and the other not so young) at the corner of White and McKibbin St., just a stone’s throw from our office. We wanted to honor Earth Day (and Arbor Day next Friday) and we’re all about things that promote environmentalism, build community pride, and make our neighborhood a nice place to live. We love the work that MillionTreesNYC has done to make our home beautiful, and the entire Radish Team is excited to take part in that effort.
If you or your organization want to adopt a tree, you totally should. You won’t be-leaf how much fun it can be. (Sorry, we’re also generous supporters of the adopt-a-pun campaign.)