Annual Report | March 17, 2025
Annual Report 2024: Free Tree Giveaways
In 2024, NYRP gave away
its 75,000th free tree since
the program began in 2008.
Council Member Chi Ossé
presented the tree to the
Kosciuszko Block Association
at the Marcy Branch of the
Brooklyn Public Library on
May 11, 2024. Photo credit: Crag Philbrick The following blog post is an excerpt from our 2024 annual report.
2024 was a significant milestone for NYRP’s free tree program: we gave away our 75,000th free tree since the program began in 2008. That’s more than four times as many trees as there are in Central Park, distributed mostly in areas of the city that lack canopy including the Rockaways, South Bronx, and East New York.
With the generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Citizens Philanthropic Foundation, NYRP hosted 22 individual giveaway events last year to distribute 3,500 trees across the five boroughs from mid-April through May. We continued to rely on strong relationships with grassroots organizations—including gardens, museums, nature conservancies, and libraries— to help give out the saplings.
“New York City has fewer trees per capita than many other major cities around the world,” describes NYRP’s Public Programming Coordinator Mike Horwitz. “The trees we distribute at NYRP are helping build our urban forest over time.”
By explicitly focusing on the city’s least-green neighborhoods, the program aims to use trees to help mitigate environmental risks including rising temperatures, polluted air, and extreme weather events.
Another mission of the program is to help increase the city’s biodiversity by distributing 30 different native tree species best suited for our changing climate. Trees like the American Persimmon, Sycamore, and White Fringe Tree, for example, are not only great for pollinators and birdlife, but also well-equipped to thrive as our city becomes hotter and wetter.
We are grateful to the following elected officials who joined us in the field: Congress Member Grace Meng, State Senator Jabari Brisport, State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey, State Assembly Member Nily Rozic, State Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Council Member Shekar Krishnan, Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., Council Member Chi Ossé, Council Member Kamilah Hanks, Council Member Sandra Ung, Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers, Council Member Lincoln Restler, and Council Member Farah Louis.