Trees of New York City facts for kids

The land comprising New York City holds approximately 5.2 million trees. As of 2020, there are 168 different tree species growing in New York City. The New York City government, along side an assortment of environmental organizations, actively work to plant and maintain the trees. As of 2020, New York City held 44,509 acres of urban tree canopy with 24% of its land covered in trees.

History of trees in New York City

Trees have grown continuously on the mainland and islands that now comprise New York City since the end of the Pleistocene epoch. Trees have inhabited the lands in or around what is now New York City for over 300 million years, far before the existence of humanity. The first human settlement in the NYC area is dated as early as 9,000 years ago, this marked the beginning of human's permanently altering the old-growth forest ecosystem. Humanity's impact of the trees in New York City greatly accelerated with European colonization of the Americas as the new settlers brought with them advanced metals tools and tree processing technologies paired with a high appetite towards lumber that they would both sell and use locally in the Thirteen Colonies, as well as send back to the Old World. While the Native American population lived off and with the Northeast's forest ecosystem relatively symbiotically, the new European colonists, with their higher population density, sedentary housing needs, and agriculture techniques, diminished the need to harvest wild fruits from trees. The New World found itself rapidly deforested, New York City included.

Lenape use of trees

The Lenape peoples who inhabited the greater NYC area directly prior to European colonization relied on trees for food, shelter, tool materials, fuel, and medicine. The typical Lenape house, called a longhouse, relied on the bending of the trunks taken from small trees to create a series of arches to serve as the frame. The Lenape used the Zanthoxylum tree as medicine for toothaches because chewing on the leaves or bark creates a tingling, or numbing effect in the mouth.

Governors Island

The Lenape called Governors Island: “Pagganck,” which means “nut island,” named after the areas abundance of hickory nut trees.

Cherry Street

At the corner of Cherry Street and Franklin Square, the Lenape peoples planted and maintained a vast cherry orchard. When the Dutch took control of the orchard, they created “Cherry Street” amidst the trees. George Washington later lived at 1 Cherry Street, the location being notable as the nation’s first presidential residence. Remnants of the orchard survived into the 1870s, when the last of the trees and Washington’s home at 1 Cherry Street, were razed to build the Brooklyn Bridge.

American use of trees

Stuyvesant Pear Tree

In 1674, Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch colonial governor, planted a pear tree on his farm. It stood here for two hundred years, with New York City growing around it. The 1811 street grid covered over the farm but spared the Stuyvesant Pear Tree. The tree remained there until February 1867, weakened by a massive winter storm and done in by a wagon collision.

A plaque marking the Stuyvesant tree’s spot remains at the corner of 13th Street and Third Avenue. In this neighborhood, pear trees are still planted to commenmorate the original pear tree planted by Stuyvesant. A Stuyvesant descendant gifted a cross-section of the original trunk to the New-York Historical Society.

Hangman’s Elm

The Hangman’s Elm, is an Elm tree in Washington Square Park. In 1989, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation determined that this English Elm was 310 years old. As a result, many believe that it is the oldest known tree in Manhattan.

The earliest references to the elm as a "hanging tree" date from the late 19th century, long after the supposed hangings were said to have taken place. Recent extensive research into the park's history by more than one historian has shown that the tree was on a private farm until the land was bought by the city and added to Washington Square in 1827. No public records exist of hangings from this tree.

The only recorded execution in this area was of Rose Butler, in 1820, for arson. She was hanged from a gallows in the city's potter's field, on the eastern side of Minetta Creek, about 500 feet (150 meters) from the elm; at that time, Minetta Creek ran in a shallow ravine between the potter's field and the farm where the elm stood. The hanging attracted 10,000 spectators.

New York City urban street trees

New York City runs a tree planting efforts through the Parks Department. As of 2020, the city has over 2.5 million trees.

The tallest and oldest tree in New York City is the Queens Giant, a Tulip Poplar growing in Queens.

As of 2020, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation is the steward of most of the trees within New York City. The NYC Department of Parks observes Earth Day and Arbor Day.

List of trees growing in New York City

This list includes street trees of New York City; as well as, trees planted in New York City parks and public spaces:

Scientific name	Common name	Photo	Size	Native Species	Approved street tree	Planted in NYC streets	Edible fruit	Disease risk	Invasive species	Notable
Acer platanoides	Norway maple		Large	Non-Native	Yes	Yes	No		No
Acer rubrum	Red maple		Large	Native		Yes
Acer saccharinum	Silver maple		Large	Native		Yes
Aesculus hippocastanum	Horse-chestnut		Large	Non-Native		Yes
Aesculus octandra	Common buckeye		Large	Native		Yes
Ailanthus altissima	Tree of heaven		Large	Non-Native	No	Yes	No		Yes	No
Alnus glutinosa	European alder		Large	Non-Native		Yes
Amelanchier canadensis	Serviceberry		Small	Native		Yes
Betula nigra	Black birch		Large	Native		Yes
Carpinus betulus	European hornbeam		Large	Non-Native		Yes
Carpinus caroliniana	American hornbeam		Medium	Native		Yes
Carya laciniosa	Shellback hickory		Large	Native
Catalpa speciosa	Northern catalpa		Medium	Non-Native
Cedrus	Cedar		Large	Non-Native
Celtis occidentalis	Common hackberry		Medium	Native
Cercidiphyllum japonicum	Katsura		Medium	Non-Native
Cercis canadensis	Eastern redbud		Medium	Non-Native
Chionanthus virginicus	White fringetree		Medium	Non-Native
Cladrastis kentukea	Kentucky yellowwood		Medium	Non-Native
Cornus mas	Cornelian cherry		Small	Non-Native			Yes
Corylus colurna	Turkish hazel		Tall	Non-Native
Crataegus	Hawthorn		Medium	Native
Crataegus spathulata	Littlehip hawthorn
Diospyros virginiana	American persimmon
Eucommia ulmoides	Eucommia ulmoides								No
Fagus sylvatica	European beech
Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula'	Weeping beech		Large	Non-Native	No	No	No		No	Yes
Ginkgo biloba	Ginkgo
Gleditsia triacanthos inermis	Honey locust
Gymnocladus dioicus	Kentucky coffeetree
Halesia	Silverbell
Hamamelis	Witch-hazel
Ilex	Holly
Juglans	Walnut trees
Juniperus	Juniper
Koelreuteria paniculata	Goldenrain tree			Non-Native
Laburnum	Golden chain
Larix laricina	American larch
Liquidambar styraciflua	Sweetgum
Liriodendron tulipifera	Tulip tree
Maackia amurensis	Amur maackia
Maclura pomifera	Maclura pomifera
Magnolia grandiflora	Laurel magnolia		Large	Non-Native	Not approved	No	No		No	Yes
Malus spectabilis	Chinese flowering apple			Non-Native
Metasequoia glyptostroboides	Dawn redwood			Non-Native
Morus	Mulberry
Nyssa sylvatica	Black gum
Ostrya virginiana	American hophornbeam
Oxydendrum	Sorrel tree
Phellodendron amurense	Amur cork tree
Picea pungens	Blue spruce
Pinus resinosa	Red pine
Pinus strobus	White pine
Pinus sylvestris	Scots pine
Platanus × acerifolia	London planetree			Non-Native
Populus	Poplar
Prunus 'Kanzan'	Cherry Kanzan
Prunus × incam	Okamé cherry
Prunus × yedoensis	Yoshino cherry
Prunus cerasifera	Cherry plum
Prunus padus	Cherry
Prunus sargentii	Cherry
Prunus virginiana 'Schubert'	Cherry
Pseudotsuga menziesii ssp. glauca	Douglas Fir		Non-Native
Pyrus calleryana	Callery pear
Quercus acutissima	Sawtooth oak
Quercus alba	White oak
Quercus bicolor	Swamp white oak
Quercus coccinea	Scarlet oak
Quercus dentata	Japanese emperor oak			Non-Native
Quercus fastigiata	English oak
Quercus frainetto	Hungarian oak
Quercus imbricaria	Shingle oak
Quercus macrocarpa	Bur oak
Quercus montana	Chestnut oak
Quercus muehlenbergii	Chinkapin oak
Quercus palustris	Pin oak
Quercus phellos	Willow oak
Quercus robur	Common oak			Non-Native
Quercus rubra	Northern red oak		Native
Quercus shumardii	Shumard oak		Non-Native
Quercus texana	Nuttall's oak		Non-Native
Quercus velutina	Eastern black oak		Native
Robinia	Locusts
Salix	Willow
Sassafras albidum	Sassafras		Native
Sorbus aucuparia	Rowan tree			Non-Native	No
Styphnolobium japonicum	Japanese pagoda tree			Non-Native
Styrax japonicus	Japanese snowbell			Non-Native
Syringa reticulata	Japanese tree lilac			Non-Native
Syringa reticulata subsp. pekinensis	Chinese tree lilac			Non-Native
Taxodium distichum	Bald cypress			Non-Native
Thuja occidentalis	Northern white-cedar			Native
Tilia americana	American linden			Native
Tilia cordata	Littleleaf linden			Non-Native
Tilia tomentosa	Silver linden			Non-Native
Tsuga canadensis	Eastern hemlock			Native
Ulmus americana	American elm		Large	Native
Ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii'	Camperdown elm		Medium	Non-Native	No	No	No		No	Yes
Ulmus parvifolia	Chinese elm			Non-Native
Ulmus minor	English elm		Large	Non-Native	No	No	No		No	Yes
Zelkova serrata	Japanese zelkova			Non-Native