When Mayor Eric Adams named a commissioner last week to oversee New York’s parks department, he spoke of how important the city’s green spaces were for recreation and contemplation, especially during the pandemic. But he also acknowledged having no particular agenda or master plan for the more than 30,000 acres of parkland under his control. — The New York Times
In response, all five of New York’s borough presidents have come together calling for Mayor Adams to plant a million new trees by 2030, reviving former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Million Trees NYC initiative. In addition, they also asked Adams to honor his campaign pledge to allocate 1 percent of the city’s budget towards the parks department.
According to environmental nonprofit Nature Conservancy, only about 22 percent of the city is covered by tree canopy, with approximately 7 million trees for its 8.8 million residents. And, while about 650,000 trees line the streets, however, like parks, they aren’t evenly distributed. Low-income New Yorkers and communities of color have significantly less access to available green space than white and wealthy areas. The conservancy predicts that New York could accommodate 250,000 more street trees.
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