NEW YORK CITY PLANTED 18,261 TREES. IT STARTED WITH THE HOTTEST BLOCKS.
New York City planted its most trees in a decade and prioritized neighborhoods where extreme heat hits hardest.
New York City says it planted 18,261 trees in fiscal year 2026 — the city’s highest annual total in a decade — while directing most plantings toward neighborhoods most exposed to dangerous heat.
WHAT HAPPENED
The city planted street trees and trees in parks, playgrounds and other public spaces. Officials say the majority went to neighborhoods ranked as highly vulnerable to extreme heat, where sparse canopy and hotter streets compound health risks.
WHY THIS IS HOPESLOP
Trees take time to become shade. But the order matters: the city did not begin with the easiest blocks or the prettiest ones. It started where summer heat is most dangerous, putting long-term public infrastructure into the ground one sapling at a time.
ORIGINAL SOURCENew York City Mayor’s OfficeRead the original report
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