City Life Org – First New “Great Trees” List Since 1985 Honoring The Arbors that Tell The Story of Our Communities, Culture, and Diverse History

Photo: NYC Parks / Malcolm Pinckney

Solicited through a public nomination process, these 61 new Great Trees were selected based on their botanical, historical, and cultural significance  

NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue today announced the first update in nearly 40 years to “Great Trees of New York City,” a compilation of our city’s most significant trees that stand out as unique symbols of our diverse urban forest. These 61 latest exceptional trees to be honored were chosen from a pool of more than 270 submitted by the public through an open nomination period. The final selection was made by a committee of panelists featuring experts and thought leaders from prominent colleges and universities, civic institutions, authors, and arborists. The results of the committee’s work serve as a comprehensive story of our city’s diverse tree population, and an expression of what makes trees not just important plant-life, but a vital piece of our city’s living infrastructure. 

“New York City’s trees represent a critical part of the cultural and historical fabric of our neighborhoods and communities, and it is a joy to release the final product of hundreds of proud and engaged New Yorkers submitting their nominations for the trees they love,” said New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “When the original list was produced in 1985, New Yorkers could hardly imagine the changes we would see in our city, and through those many years our trees have served as neighborhood touchstones, historical reminders, and unique symbols of our diverse urban forest. We are so thankful to the New Yorkers who submitted nominees, and for the time of our expert panel who reviewed the nominations and made the selections for this historic new collection.”   

Highlights from the newest trees being honored are:  

• American Elm in Mapes Park, the Bronx – This massive American Elm inspired a neighborhood to advocate for its preservation during renovations in Mapes Park, and is a shining example of how connected New Yorkers are to the trees in their community 

• American Linden in Joyce Kilmer Park, the Bronx – On November 20, 2015, NYC Parks celebrated the planting of the one millionth tree in the MillionTreesNYC Project. The tree marks the culmination of a landmark program that became a model for cities across the world.   

• Ginkgo tree on MacDonough Street in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn – This beautiful tree sits next to the mansion of the United Order of Tents, a black women’s fraternal order that has been serving their community for over 150 years. 

• Osage Orange Tree in Marcus Garvey Park, Manhattan – This tree, with its unique twisting trunk, has been featured in art exhibitions and provides shade to a relaxing corner of one of Harlem’s largest parks.  

• Tulip Tree in Alley Pond Park, Queens – Measuring 133 feet tall, this massive 350-year-old tree connects New Yorkers to their past, spanning centuries of change and standing the test of time.  

• English Yew in Hero Park, Staten Island – Believed to be one of the original 155 Evergreen trees planted in 1920 to honor Staten Island residents who died in WWI, this unique tree is a prime example of the many interesting trees in NYC Parks. 

The public nomination period ran from April 2023 to March 2024, during which time Parks received over 270 nominations from New Yorkers via the Parks website. A selection committee analyzed the nominees, with experts in arboriculture and botany, in addition to historians, authors and cultural specialists participating. The added depth to the selection committee allowed Parks to select trees which serve as neighborhood and community centerpieces, in addition to species which have remained in parks for decades as the city changed around them. All five boroughs were represented within the committee, ensuring that proper context was given to the stories coming from every corner of the city. Nominations were considered based on the tree’s historical, botanical and cultural significance. The 61 new trees added to the 59 existing great trees bringing the total list to 120 trees that exemplify the deep connection that New Yorkers feel toward trees in their community. 

 
“We are excited to have been part of NYC Parks’ Great Tree Search selection committee,” said Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Regional Director Rodney Rivera. “Protecting and preserving New York’s heritage trees are particularly important in urban areas to help address air pollution, heat islands, and other climate change impacts to overburdened communities. Our Regional Forester Tim Wenskus provided his tree expertise as part of the Brooklyn committee and during the review process saw many great trees in parks, along sidewalks, and within community gardens. Congratulations to all who provided tree nominations that made the list. 

“New York has great trees and every New Yorker should be proud of them!” said New York Botanical Garden Curator of Woody Plants Melissa Finley. “The Great Tree Search is such a great project that highlights the amazing trees across our city and the people who love them. It was such an honor to serve on the selection committee because it felt like I had been invited to see through the eyes of each nominator just what makes their favorite trees so special.” 

“The Great Tree Search highlighted the deeply personal relationships New Yorkers have with city green spaces—from grand parks to modest pocket parks—and neighborhood trees,” said Queens College Associate Professor of History Kara Schlichting. “Nominations highlight historic trees that help link contemporary residents to past communities. They also highlighted the everyday pleasure of the way the sun filters into an apartment window through a tree’s canopy. Nominations read, to me, as a great call to action to further our commitment to take care of New York’s urban canopy.” 

“The longevity and majesty of these Great Tree Search winners might surprise a person unfamiliar with New York City’s urban forest!” said Consulting Arborist, and Author Jean Zimmerman of the New York State Urban Forestry Council. “Even as a historian and arborist I found the breadth of awardees astonishing. Time and again, coming across a gigantic willow oak on a tiny Bronx side street, say, or the most beautiful old elm in the world right in heavily trafficked Crotona Park, the nominees took my breath away. All trees are amazing. But NYC Parks has achieved something remarkable in calling to light the amazing venerable trees busy city dwellers might just overlook.” 

NYC Parks manages and cares for close to 5.7 million trees, including trees along our streets, within our natural forests and throughout our landscaped parks. This represents 81% of the city’s trees and half of the city’s canopy. NYC Parks is coming off a record tree-planting year in FY24 with more than 18.000 trees planted, continuing a three-year trend of growth throughout the Adams administration. This marked the largest tree planting total in the last eight years and represents another critical step forward in the administration’s commitment to achieve 30% canopy cover across the city. Additionally, thanks to a $136 million capital investment made by the Adams administration in the FY23 Budget, we are expecting to plant a tree in every viable spot in the most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods by 2027. 

Visit the NYC Tree Map to see the location, size, condition, and species of non-forest trees growing along our streets and in our landscaped areas of Parks.