Tree Care and Maintenance
Care for Newly Planted Trees
We recommend that newly planted
trees receive about 20 gallons of water per week,
especially in the hot, dry summer months. Tree pits
should be kept free of garbage, road and sidewalk
salt, and dog waste, which can contaminate the soil.
No extra soil should be added to tree pits. Adding soil can suffocate the tree, as well as provide a breeding ground for fungi and insects where the soil touches the trunk of the tree.
Tree Pruning
In November 1997, Parks embarked
on a program of routine, block-by-block maintenance
for street trees. Each City tree will be pruned once
every 10 years under the grid maintenance pruning
system. Each year 1/10 of the trees in each community
board will be pruned. By pruning trees in a block
by block pattern, we are able to make more efficient
use of our resources than by pruning in response to
geographically disparate public requests.
Please inform your borough forestry office if you see a tree that you believe poses a hazard and is in need of emergency pruning. Other tree emergencies such as fallen trees, fallen limbs, and hanging limbs should also be referred to your borough forestry office. Call 311 (212-NEW-YORK if calling from outside NYC) to report tree emergencies.
Dead Tree Removal
If a tree appears to be dead, please
call your borough forestry office. If an inspector
determines that the tree is dead, Parks will remove
it within 30 days of receiving the request. Click
here to go to Dead Tree Removal Online Form.
Only Parks and contractors hired by Parks are allowed to remove trees. Any citizen caught removing a living tree will be charged with arborcide and penalized severely. See Tree Damage and Arborcide.