10/13/2026
Imagine it’s a hot summer morning in New York City. You’re walking on the scorching sidewalk, navigating between towering buildings that radiate heat. You make a turn and suddenly, the air feels cooler; you look up and notice the street is lined with trees and shade, and for a moment your walk feels almost comfortable.
Across New York City, more than 7 million trees create an urban forest that helps cool and clean the air and improve New Yorkers’ quality of life. But these benefits do not reach every community equitably. “Many of the neighborhoods most vulnerable to extreme heat tend to be lower-income communities or communities of color and have fewer trees,” says Tami Lin-Moges, New York cities director for The Nature Conservancy.
That’s why The Nature Conservancy in New York is working alongside communities, advocates and city leaders to expand tree canopy where it's needed most. Through efforts like the Future Forest NYC initiative, we produce science about the urban forest, bring together the 240+ member Forest for All NYC coalition, and advocate for tree-friendly policies. We also partnered with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice to inform New York City's first-ever Urban Forest Plan, which creates a roadmap to achieve 30% tree canopy cover equitably across the city by 2040.
Explore how the New York City urban forest is helping people adapt to a hotter future by creating cooler, healthier and more resilient neighborhoods across the city: https://nature.ly/4yF1cge
