NYC’s Street Trees

June 14, 2021 11:35 AM

For the data-loving dendrophiles, NYC Parks has mapped every streetside tree in the city.

Using formulas from the USDA Forest Service’s i-Tree software, we present some of the concrete ecological benefits and related financial value to the City in the NYC Street Tree Map.

The New York City Street Tree Map is the world’s most accurate and detailed map of a city’s street trees. Through this map, you can explore our city’s urban forest, mark trees as favorites and share them with your friends, and record and share all of your caretaking and tree stewardship activities.

Caring for street trees

posted by nickyskye (12 comments total)

I'm curious how they determined "most accurate and detailed". "largest-scope", maybe, but my city, for example, has had this level of detail for a while. I do love to look at all these maps, though.
posted by sagc at 11:42 AM on June 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

Now someone just needs to come up with a clever algorithm to give unique names to each of the trees.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 11:56 AM on June 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

But can you email poetry to the NYC trees?
posted by AzraelBrown at 12:08 PM on June 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

I'm curious how they determined "most accurate and detailed"

As we are constantly reminded in Washington (by New Yorkers), everything is better in New York. That's how. DC also has a detailed map. The street tree in front of the house next door to ours is a Shademaster Honeylocust.
posted by fedward at 12:11 PM on June 14, 2021 [3 favorites]

Ooh! I participated in the tree census that generated this data in 2015. To this day, every time I walk past a well-intentioned tree guard that blocks proper drainage I tsk-tsk silently.
posted by thejoshu at 12:17 PM on June 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

In the Netherlands it has been law for some time now. Here's Amsterdam, and I suppose most if not all places have a map like that. Then, there's this map covering all of the country, but that is not hand drawn, but derived from aerial photograph.
posted by Psychnic at 1:53 PM on June 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

This is a cool thing, my wife uses it for her tree studies, especially in Prospect Park.
I guess it's not up to date, the tree in front of our place isn't listed and it's been there a few years.
posted by Liquidwolf at 4:05 PM on June 14, 2021

This could be useful for knowing how to avoid ginkgoes.

Seriously though -- I know the ginkgo is hardy, pollution-tolerant, and turns a brilliant yellow in autumn, but it's lousy at providing shade and god help you if the city accidentally plants a fruiting one near your bedroom window.
posted by theory at 4:25 PM on June 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

I hate to break it to them but “ the worlds most accurate” map doesn’t line up with the street viewimages. At least not on my block. And they have the wrong species listed for my next door neighbors tree. My block does have a tree, or space for a tree in front of every residence, but they are a scraggly lot. I think it’s from salting the sidewalks in the winter. Whatever it is that blights the trees on my block I was happy to learn that the spectacular specimens lining the particularly verdant block just west of me is full of London Plane trees, and I suspect these must all be around a hundred years old. I’ve never had such tree envy like I had the first time I walked down that street.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 4:35 PM on June 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

Now someone just needs to come up with a clever algorithm to give unique names to each of the trees.

What3Words might be specific enough to assign a unique location name to each tree. The names won't be clever, but they will all be unique.
posted by hippybear at 8:22 PM on June 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

In the Netherlands it has been law for some time now. Here's Amsterdam, and I suppose most if not all places have a map like that.

A large tree fell down here in a park (It is in Frederiksplein in Amsterdam) They had to clear it up but left the tree trunk. The tree trunk has become a sort of memorial to the tree. People have pasted screenshots of the tree map where it shows the tree's age and when it was planted. Another note recorded several attempts by people to count the tree rings. Also someone tacked up some historical photographs of the park from the early 20th century with the tree circled.
posted by vacapinta at 2:06 AM on June 15, 2021

I love the "Condition" information on the DC map! I wish there was a way of filtering on condition? Isn't it strange, how we feel the need to assign actual dollar value to each and every one of the trees?
And, not to be outdone by Europeans and East Coasters - Iowa City has a map too!
posted by Dotty at 10:35 AM on June 15, 2021