Though New York City is often referred to as the “concrete jungle,” the Parks Department is making it easier for residents to learn more about and appreciate how many trees are located in the five boroughs.
The “Street Tree Map” provides the location of 666,134 trees in each borough. According to a new census, this number represents a 12.5 percent increase from the last tree census taken in 2006.
Queens is the greenest borough with 248,404 street trees. Brooklyn comes in second with 178,544 mapped trees. The map allows people to explore every tree by neighborhood and block. Once you click on a dot, which represents one tree, the map will provide the species, trunk diameter, closest address and ID number.
Neighborhoods with the top number of trees include Douglaston, Bayside, Whitestone , Forest Hills, South Ozone Park and St. Albans.
Queens neighborhoods that could use more greenery include the Elmhurst/Maspeth border, Corona, parts of Long Island City and Old Astoria.
The most popular tree in Queens is the London Planetree. It thrives in sooty air and is able to withstand drought. For these reasons, the London Planetree is found widely in urban environments, according to the Arbor Day Foundation.
Thousands of volunteers helped gather information about each tree through the TreesCount! 2015 initiative.
The map also allows users to add their favorite trees to “My Trees,” which makes it easier to share information about the tree with your friends and you can also record steps you’ve taken to care for the tree. The Parks Department has a Stewardship program that encourages people to participate in volunteer events to help plant and care for trees.
Trees are beneficial to the city in several ways. They can capture stormwater runoff, reduce energy costs, and make the air less polluted and easier to breathe.
Explore the trees in your neighborhood by viewing the Street Tree Map.
