FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
First Trees Planted in New York City as Part of $15 Million Initiative to Establish and Expand Forest Resiliency
Local Projects Contribute To New York State’s “25 Million Trees by 2033” Effort in Forest Park, Queens, and Across the City
New York, NY, November 14, 2025 – Leaders from seven New York City parks, conservancies, gardens, and nonprofit groups gathered in Forest Park, Queens, today to plant the city’s inaugural trees as part of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Community Reforestation (CoRe) grant program. Nearly $7 million of the program’s $15 million in funds have been awarded to local organizations to enhance the resiliency of NYC’s urban forests.
The CoRe program awards, announced by Governor Kathy Hochul on Arbor Day 2025, aim to catalyze climate resilience and public health benefits through expanding and restoring forested natural areas in communities statewide. Healthy forests improve air quality and provide extensive cooling, carbon capture, and stormwater absorption benefits, in addition to providing increased access to nature for the health and recreation of all New Yorkers. Many of the projects funded by the program are located in communities that are highly vulnerable to the urban heat island effect. Research has shown that healthy forested areas can help combat the localized impacts of extreme heat.
NYC grantees include the Bronx River Alliance, the New York Botanical Garden, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, and the Natural Areas Conservancy. Over a dozen parks and natural areas across the city will benefit from the CoRe program, primarily in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens.
Partnership and volunteer participation are the focus of many projects. The Bronx River Alliance will engage more than 300 volunteers to restore riparian forests along the watershed with hardwood trees. The Natural Areas Conservancy staff will be working with Prospect Park Alliance and the Forest Park Trust, as well as New York Restoration Project in Highbridge Park, to advance the core tenets of the NAC’s Forest Management Framework, which seeks to guide restoration and management practices in city parkland over a 25-year period. Other grants, such as the one received by the New York Botanical Garden, will support degraded forest sites in the Bronx and restore tree canopy gaps across the five boroughs. Altogether, over 21,000 trees will be planted across 12 sites in the city.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “Expanding and restoring urban forests helps build resilient communities, ecosystems, and a healthier future. DEC’s Community Reforestation Grant Program is the vanguard of Governor Kathy Hochul’s 25 Million Trees Initiative, and the significant state investment in New York City’s forests, starting with the trees planted here today in Forest Park, will enhance climate resilience in communities across all five boroughs.”
New York State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar said, “Today, we take the historic step of launching the CoRe program with the $15 million I helped allocate in the annual budget, allowing us to plant over 21,000 trees in underserved areas like Forest Park. As the state representative whose district is blessed with the beautiful 500-acre Forest Park, I treasure our green space. Parks clean the air we breathe, foster our mental and physical health, and bring together everyone to enjoy nature. They are the ultimate egalitarian public benefit, serving people of every background. With this historic investment, we will ensure that Forest Park remains a beautiful, world-class urban forest for years to come.”
“The trees and forests of New York City represent a critical part of climate resiliency and public health for all New Yorkers, and the funding announced by Governor Hochul and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for the ‘25 Million Trees by 2033’ initiative represents another massive step toward keeping our communities safe and cool,” said NYC Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Iris Rodriguez Rosa. “Our trees represent a key part of our essential living infrastructure. NYC Parks is dedicated to maintaining their health and planting new trees along with our partners in environmental conservation.”
“We believe that healthy natural areas are critical green infrastructure and a key component to protecting the city from extreme heat and flooding,” said Andrew Wallach, interim executive director of the Natural Areas Conservancy. “We are so grateful to Governor Hochul and the DEC for providing a major investment in the Forest Management Framework and ensuring those benefits reach all New Yorkers.”
“The New York Botanical Garden applauds Governor Kathy Hochul for her vision and leadership in creating the inaugural Community Reforestation program,” said Jennifer Bernstein, Chief Executive Officer and The William C. Steere Sr. President of NYBG. “By supporting NYBG’s restoration work in the Bronx River corridor, families and neighbors will experience the benefits of forests for generations to come.”
“Funding received via the CoRE program will allow the Forest Park Trust to ensure the health of a treasured park in Queens. The park’s namesake, its beloved forest, will be more biodiverse, more climate resilient, and more connected to its constituency because of this grant. The Forest Park Trust remains thankful to Governor Hochul; the New York State Department of Conservation; and to our funding partner, the Natural Areas Conservancy, for this opportunity to further preserve and protect Forest Park,” said Michael Palermo, President of The Forest Park Trust, Inc.
“New York City’s urban forest, including Prospect Park and its 30,000 trees, is an essential community resource,” says Prospect Park Alliance President, Morgan Monaco. “Support from Governor Hochul through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Community Reforestation program will be instrumental to ensuring our urban forest, including Brooklyn’s last remaining upland forest in Prospect Park, can thrive for generations to come. In the face of extreme weather events like the record-breaking drought and two-acre fire we experienced in the heart of our woodlands last year, the need to support our city’s trees is more essential than ever, and we thank the Natural Areas Conservancy for their partnership and support.”
“We are thrilled to partner in pursuit of New York State’s ‘25 Million Trees by 2033’ goal,” said New York Restoration Project Executive Director Lynn Bodnar Kelly. “This multi-year support will enable our forest crew to dramatically increase the tree canopy and improve access to two acres of urban forest in Northern Manhattan’s Highbridge Park by removing invasive species and planting native trees. We are deeply grateful for this collaborative multi-year support.”
The 25 Million Trees by 2033 initiative aims to make communities more resilient to challenges such as extreme heat, air pollution, and severe weather by planting and expanding New York’s trees and forests.
For more information, contact:
Shannon Jordy | Deputy Director of Communications & External Affairs |
Natural Areas Conservancy | shannon.jordy@naturalareasnyc.org
