Want to Plant Trees? Here’s Where You Can Volunteer in NYC

We all need our lungs to breathe, and so is the Earth. Scientists say that the only way to reverse the damage brought about by climate change is to plant more trees. Trees absorb carbon monoxide in the air, process it, and breathe it out as oxygen.

However, we’ve been losing a lot of stress due to forest fires and industrialization. Furthermore, different human activities have been producing high levels of carbon monoxide.

With this harmful chemical increasing and with trees dwindling, our Earth is starting to suffocate. People aware of this alarming situation are starting to do their little ways to reverse this damage. If you want to help further, why don’t you try planting some trees or taking care of them? Tree planting and tree care are fundamental activities to help preserve a healthy environment and ecosystem.

New York City is a highly urbanized city. With all the pollution hovering around, don’t you just want to have a fresh respite by seeing more trees around the city? If that’s a yes, then here’s a list of organizations in NYC where you can start volunteering:

NYC Parks Stewardship

NYC parks call for volunteers to help with forest and wetland restoration, planting and pruning street trees, harvesting and propagating native seed, and monitoring local wildlife. You can become a steward by:

Attending a volunteer event

There are virtual and face-to-face events that you can join to show some nature lovin’. One of these events is the public event organized by New Yorkers. You can get your hands dirty to make NYC a better place to live.

Aside from helping plant more trees, you can also enjoy being one with nature, learning new skills, and meeting new people. Upcoming stewardship projects are available on their website.

Request a project for your group

There are a lot of groups in NYC that would love to share as much details they can for the community. You can check out the NYC parks Stewardship. They have a list of projects that can use your help.

Your group can help out on a project and make a significant impact on its success. There are nature-based projects available that can help your group further bond with each other, enjoy the city’s landscapes, and make a real difference.

Become a Super Steward 

As a Super Steward, you will work independently to impact your neighborhood. You will be trained by NYC Parks, earn access to tools, get a license, and be able to recruit and train your own friends and neighbors as well!

Million Trees NYC

MillionTreesNYC is an initiative launched by the Parks Department and New York Restoration Project. It aims to plant 1,000,000 trees in NYC, and it was able to achieve its goal two years ahead of schedule because of the number of volunteers who responded to the initiative.

But planting trees is just the first step. Enchanting and preserving NYC’s urban forests is the next step – a critical one in ensuring that your efforts will pay off in the long run.

As a volunteer, you will help map and record critical information about individual trees in each and every block. This will ensure that all the trees planted are healthy and thriving. The organization will be hosting mapping events to teach you how to do it and how it works.

This initiative is a collaboration of community-based and non-profit groups, corporations and small businesses, developers, architects, landscape artists, and private-joining Arbor Day events.

NYRP

Volunteers are the core of NYRP’s work. Each season, NYRP can gather thousands of volunteers to help them plant trees, maintain public parkland, and care for community gardens.

You can also register as a Forest Crew – a volunteer opportunity that allows you to participate in the stewardship and restoration in Highbridge Park. Join other NYC residents and bond over a meaningful activity by increasing green spaces in the community!

Planting a tree is a legacy that you will be leaving for the future generation because you took part in a life-changing volunteer activity. We are but stewards of this Earth, and if we don’t take care of it, we will suffer far more damaging effects in the future.

So, start volunteering! Use your time wisely and get your hands dirty because your actions today will be the life of tomorrow.

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