I wrote here that “a big tree does more to keep a city cool and clean than a small one does.” Adrian Benape, New York City’s parks and recreation commissioner, has the numbers.
The first number is 102. New York, he says, plants “102 different unique cultivars and species of street trees in pursuit of a more diverse urban forest.”
The second number is 65. Benape writes:
I wouldn’t trade in the street trees planted by our predecessors for anything. These venerable specimens of the urban forest give us the most benefits right now — more than 65 times those of a smaller tree, according to research by the United States Forest Service. They clean our air, shade our streets, reduce energy costs, increase property values and beautify our neighborhoods.
Deborah Howe
Toby Wolf
