Council Member Bottcher Passes Urban Forest Master Plan

By Arthur Schwartz

With the leadership of West Village-Chelsea-Hells Kitchen, City Council Member Erik Bottcher passed a new law that requires the city to form an Urban Forest Master Plan to protect and expand the city’s canopy.
“The Urban Forest Master Plan will ensure a greener, more sustainable New York by expanding tree canopy coverage to 30% of the entire city,” Bottcher said after his bill passed. “Last month’s flooding showed us, once again, that we must take drastic action to increase the permeable surface area across our city, and that includes planting thousands of street trees,” he added.
“Trees are an essential tool in combating climate change, cleaning our air, absorbing storm water and providing homes for wildlife,” Bottcher added. “We must continue to do all we can to ensure more are planted and cared for as the vital pieces of infrastructure they are.”
Bottcher has made the planting of more trees a major focus since he entered office last year. At the end of 2022, he made a goal to plant over 1,000 trees in the district. In June, Bottcher announced that so far, over 400 new trees have been planted this year in his Council District. The plan would require the city to adopt a five-year plan to increase trees and vegetation across the city.

“TREES ARE AN ESSENTIAL TOOL in combating climate change, cleaning our air, absorbing storm water and providing homes for wildlife,” Council Member Erik Bottcher said about his new law. Photo courtesy of NYC Parks.