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TREES NEW YORK INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 133131911 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE C500 · Environment · Small ($100K-$1M) · treesny.org
revenue
$902K
expenses
$716K
net assets
$841K
employees
9
volunteers
2,700
program ratio
79%
mission · from form 990

TO PROMOTE THE PROPER PLANTING, CARE, AND MAINTENANCE OF NEW YORK CITY URBAN FOREST THROUGH EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION.

profile · synthesized from sources

Trees New York promotes the planting, care, and maintenance of New York City's urban forest through community engagement and education. The organization runs hands-on programs that train volunteers in tree stewardship, including pruning and bed maintenance, and delivers environmental education to public school students across the five boroughs. It also organizes citywide events like City of Forest Day to raise awareness about urban trees and their role in climate resilience.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Citizen Pruner Course
10-hour training program that teaches volunteers how to identify, maintain, and properly prune street trees; includes field workshops and certification
City of Forest Day
Annual citywide event featuring tree walks, stewardship activities, planting, and educational events across all five boroughs to celebrate and promote urban forestry
Tree Bed Repair
Program to restore damaged tree beds by removing bricks, amending soil, adding mulch, and enlarging beds to improve tree health and prevent sidewalk damage
Tree Planting Program
Collaborative planting initiative with community groups and schools that includes site assessment, tree installation, and long-term care planning
Youth Environmental Literacy Program
Environmental education curriculum for grades 3–12 that includes lessons on tree biology, identification, urban heat island effect, and stewardship activities
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Community Stewardship Volunteer Programs 3 activities
    • Citizen Pruner training and volunteer mobilization
      Trains and certifies approximately 200 community members annually as Citizen Pruners through a multi-hour course covering tree biology, identification, and pruning techniques. Mobilizes trained volunteers to prune street trees citywide, addressing dead or obstructive branches and supporting ongoing tree health.
    • City of Forest Day and public engagement events
      Organizes annual City of Forest Day events across all five NYC boroughs, featuring tree walks, birding, tree planting, park restoration, arts and crafts, and community activations. Also hosts preparatory "hype" events and webinars to expand public participation and support community-led events centered on urban forest engagement.
    • Corporate and community volunteer programs
      Organizes short-duration (2-hour) corporate volunteer events with up to 20 participants, engaging them in tree bed stewardship, cleanup, and planting activities. Also facilitates community volunteer events such as “Prune & Chat” to involve residents in hands-on urban forestry work.
  • Onsite & Outreach Environmental Education Programs 1 activity
    • Environmental education programs for students
      Provides structured environmental education to public school students in grades 3–12, aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. Programs include tree biology, identification, urban heat island effects, invasive species, and hands-on stewardship activities. In recent years, delivered over 60 lessons to more than 2,500 students across multiple schools and community organizations, particularly in the Bronx.
  • Tree Planting and Reforestation Initiatives 1 activity
    • Urban tree planting and stewardship
      Plants and maintains trees across New York City’s five boroughs, including street tree planting, tree bed restoration, mulching, watering, pruning, and flower planting. The organization has planted over 6,500 trees in the past decade, including nearly 400 on and around NYCHA properties, with projects often aligned with NYC Parks standards and focused on areas affected by extreme weather events.
  • Youth Workforce Development in Food & Environment 1 activity
    • Youth workforce development in urban forestry
      Hires high school interns and offers certification programs such as Young Urban Forester to prepare youth for green careers. These internships take place in parks across the Bronx and combine fieldwork with educational training.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$902K
Contributions & grants$763K85%
Program service revenue$87K10%
Investment income$50K6%
Other revenue$2K
expenses
Total expenses$716K
Program expenses79%
Admin / overhead20%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$424K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.16M
Cash$211K
Investments$929K
Liabilities$316K
Net assets$841K
Liquid reserves19.1 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +28.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
NELSON VILLARRUBIA EXECUTIVE DI 40 $106K
board members · 10
  • ELIZABETH H ATWOOD — BOARD MEMBER
  • HENRY H WHITE III — BOARD MEMBER
  • JOHN BANDLER — SECRETARY
  • JULIA PECK — BOARD MEMBER
  • JULIA RANSOM BRADFORD — CHAIR
  • LINDSAY FORBES — TREASURER AS
  • MARGARET MURPHY — PRESIDENT
  • PATRICIA BURNHAM BROCK — BOARD MEMBER
  • SAMUEL BISHOP — TREASURER UN
  • WILLIAM N HUBBARD — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 68

Who they work with

  • Alma Bank Partner — Past corporate sponsor supporting tree planting, preservation, and environmental education programs.
  • BKD Partner — Corporate partner that sent 60 volunteers to participate in tree bed stewardship activities across three locations in New York City.
  • BKD CPA’s & Advisors Partner — Past corporate sponsor supporting tree planting, preservation, and environmental education programs.
  • Believe Partner — Past corporate sponsor supporting tree planting, preservation, and environmental education programs.
  • Brooklyn Botanic Garden Partner — References Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s guides for information on native flowers suitable for tree beds.
  • Con Edison Partner — Past corporate sponsor that has partnered with Trees New York on volunteer events.
  • ConEdison Partner — Past corporate sponsor supporting tree planting, preservation, and environmental education programs.
  • Curb Allure Partner — Past corporate sponsor supporting tree planting, preservation, and environmental education programs.
  • Curb Allure Partner — Past corporate sponsor that has partnered with Trees New York on volunteer events.
  • Essence Global Partner — Past corporate sponsor supporting tree planting, preservation, and environmental education programs.
  • Essence Global Partner — Past corporate sponsor that has partnered with Trees New York on volunteer events.
  • Forest for All NYC Partner — Coalition partner co-hosting City of Forest Day with Trees New York.
  • Forest for All NYC Partner — Coalition partner collaborating on City of Forest Day and shared vision for a healthy urban forest.
  • Forest for All NYC Partner — Collaborative partner in hosting workshops and gathering community input for the NYC Urban Forest Plan.
  • Givsly Partner — Past corporate sponsor supporting tree planting, preservation, and environmental education programs.
  • Givsly Partner — Past corporate sponsor that has partnered with Trees New York on volunteer events.
  • Humana Partner — Past corporate sponsor supporting tree planting, preservation, and environmental education programs.
  • Humana Partner — Past corporate sponsor that has partnered with Trees New York on volunteer events.
  • Joco Partner — Past corporate sponsor supporting tree planting, preservation, and environmental education programs.
  • Joco Partner — Past corporate sponsor that has partnered with Trees New York on volunteer events.
  • Kaiyo Partner — Past corporate sponsor supporting tree planting, preservation, and environmental education programs.
  • Kaiyo Partner — Past corporate sponsor that has partnered with Trees New York on volunteer events.
  • Kraneshares Partner — Past corporate sponsor supporting tree planting, preservation, and environmental education programs.
  • Kraneshares Partner — Past corporate sponsor that has partnered with Trees New York on volunteer events.
  • Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School Partner — Hosted youth education and stewardship programming for first-grade students.
  • NYC Department of Transportation Government — Directs community members to the DOT’s CityRacks program for bike rack installation on city sidewalks.
  • NYC Parks Government — Partner for street tree planting and tree bed repair requiring permits, heavy equipment, and compliance with city standards.
  • NYC Parks Department Government — Collaborates with the NYC Parks Department on tree planting, pruning, and tree work permit processes.
  • NYC Parks Tree Time Partner — Directs community members to NYC Parks Tree Time (formerly New York Tree Trust) for installed tree guards.
  • NYC Public Schools Partner — Provides environmental education programs aligned with curriculum standards for NYC Public Schools.
+ 38 more
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Community-Engaged Stewardship Model
    methodology: community-engaged_stewardship
    By involving community members, volunteers, and local institutions in tree planting and care, we increase urban tree survival and promote long-term environmental stewardship because resident-led engagement fosters ownership, equity, and sustained public advocacy for the urban forest.
  • Food-Literate Urban Forestry
    methodology: food-literate_urban_forestry
    By planting fruit trees in urban areas, we promote environmental awareness and food literacy because direct interaction with edible urban forests connects people to sustainable food systems and local ecology.
  • Youth Workforce Development through Experiential Urban Forestry
    methodology: integrated_urban_forestry_and_youth_development
    By integrating tree planting and maintenance with youth education and job training, we advance both urban forest sustainability and youth development because hands-on, service-based learning fosters environmental literacy, academic growth, and long-term civic engagement.