You know how everyone from New York City is an overachiever? Turns out, so are their tree planters. And it's great.
Eight years ago, city authorities announced a goal to plant a million new trees in the city in the next 10 years. And it planted its one millionth this week, with two years to spare. But the millionth tree planting ceremony, originally scheduled for Wednesday, has been indefinitely postponed. Maybe they don't want it to be over, kind of like how I don't want to watch the last Philip Seymour Hoffman movie.
The tree-planting initiative was put in place by former mayor Michael Bloomberg, and (why not?) Bette Midler, who runs the nonprofit New York Restoration Project. Legend has it, the two were on a walk in the park when they came up with the plan to make the city more sustainable and less polluted.
The main benefit of the plantings is environmental. According to the USDA Forest Service, urban trees remove air pollutants, stabilize hot weather, emit important organic compounds that are good for the soil and air, and reduce energy usage in buildings by shading and cooling them, and protecting them from winter winds.
The trees can also provide a psychological boost: people are happiest when they live in areas with more green.
"We partnered with the city to plant a million trees because the truth is that when it comes to ecology—even urban ecology—more is more," said Deborah Marton, executive director of the New York Restoration Project, to Co.Exist. "In order to have healthy urban forests, you have to work citywide."
And work, they did. With so much volunteer power and funding, the operation was able to blow past its goal and move on to the next; the organizations are already looking to plant trees in surrounding areas, like Morrisania, in the South Bronx.
But planting is only the first step. Maintaining the trees is just as crucial, which is why MillionTreesNYC asks volunteers to adopt urban trees that need "a little Tree-LC." Almost 12,000 trees have already been adopted, and about 625,000 still need sponsors. The city also holds tree-planting and maintenance events.
Los Angeles had a similar million-tree-planting plan, which has quietly changed its name to City Plants. City Plants does not advertise how many trees it's managed to plant, but at last count, it was around 40,000.
You can stay up to date on the tree planting program and the millionth tree planting ceremony in NYC, here.
Photo: H.J. Janisch | Flickr
