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Tree guards support NYC’s urban forest agenda

Big Reuse, a Gowanus-based environmental nonprofit, and Councilmember Lincoln Restler (D-33) have launched a do-it-yourself tree guard project. The project is one of many community and city initiatives to support a newly-launched urban forest plan.

The tree guards protect trees and preserve the soil around sidewalk trees from foot traffic and pet waste. The initiative, which began at the end of 2024, aims to protect urban trees, encourage community involvement and enable stewardship of local green spaces. 

“Our street trees face a lot of stressors. We ask them to do much of their growing not in the forest. They’re growing next to cars. People are walking, and people are out with their dogs,” said Justin Green, the executive director of Big Reuse.

Community through tree protection

The tree guard project offers community members and organizations an opportunity to take ownership of local trees and foster the city’s urban forest in a hands-on way.

The tree guard is designed with steel signposts for durability and pressure-treated lumber for its above-ground frame. The pressure-treated wood is easy to cut to size, making it adaptable to trees of various dimensions. The wooden structure allows for easy replacement if damaged, ensuring longevity. The goals of the design are affordability (one unit costs $275) and accessibility. 

Big Reuse, the nonprofit that designed the tree guards and regularly organizes street tree care volunteers, collaborated with NYC Parks officials to improve the tree guard design. The Big Reuse website offers detailed building instructions and resources for acquiring a tree work permit, simplifying the process for residents to build and install their own tree guards. 

Restler is funding the installation of 50 new tree guards for District 33 residents or community groups who cannot afford the cost on their own. 

“Before the launch of our affordable tree guard model, a New Yorker would typically have to pay between $1000 to $1500 to use one of the previously approved tree guards,” Restler wrote to the Brooklyn Eagle. “That’s far too much money for most New Yorkers to spend on a tree guard. We expect most of these new tree guard installations to be self-funded by neighbors, either as individuals or by coming together as a block.”

Restler has worked with Big Reuse to plan tree care days, and hundreds of volunteers have participated in District 33 over the past few years to help maintain their urban agriculture, according to Restler. 

“We’ve engaged neighbors throughout the process who are excited about this low-cost way to protect trees on their block. Tree guards are essential for keeping street trees healthy, which maximizes their positive impact on our air quality, resiliency and local environment,” wrote Restler.

Big Reuse aims to install 200 tree guards in 2025. Currently, around 40 groups are slated to install the guards.

“If it’s less compacted, it can absorb more water, which is good for the trees and runoff into the streets. That helps make the soil around the tree healthier, which is important for the tree. It will reduce the amount of dogs peeing directly on the tree,” said Green.

Green noted that tree guards also protect the city’s tree canopy from more extreme damage and risks such as car crashes. In one example in Long Island City, Green said, “The tree guard was damaged, but it protected the tree from getting hit by a vehicle.” 

The value of an urban forest

The city is investing in a variety of measures to promote the cultivation of its urban forest. An urban forest includes everything from sidewalk trees to park forestry and offers a natural combative measure to climate change. 

“Investments in large-scale tree planting and preservation to sequester carbon, restoration and enhancement of freshwater and saltwater wetlands to slow storm surge and filter the water, etc.” Adrian Benepe, president of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and a prominent NYC environmental advocate, told the Brooklyn Eagle in January.

The Forest for All Coalition is a group of parks leadership, community groups and environmental advocates who advocate for NYC’s urban forest. According to the coalition, an urban forest supports the city’s efforts to mitigate climate change by providing natural protection from floods, heat and carbon emissions. 

“New Yorkers rely on trees to provide respite from the heat, mitigate the effects of excess stormwater, and keep our air clean,” said Parks Commissioner Sue Donaghue. “NYC Parks manages over half of the city’s existing tree canopy, with experts in tree care and conservation ensuring their health and continued growth as they expand to cover more area with cooling shade.”

In October 2023, the coalition supported Local Law 148, in which City Council required the city to create an urban forest plan that has to be revisited every 10 years.  

In November 2024, the city launched an Urban Forest Plan to increase the city’s tree canopy to 30% by 2035. As part of the plan, NYC Parks plans to plant a tree in every viable spot in the city’s most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods by 2028.

“What’s happened over the last forty years is that we’ve gone from just a few people understanding the value of trees, aside from romantic value, to a huge constituency,” Benepe told the Brooklyn Eagle in 2023. “It’s taken a lot of research to figure out what the city needs to do … So the Natural Areas Conservancy was pushing for this increase to 30% by 2035. I think it makes a lot of sense.”

Initiatives like the tree guards will enable community members to participate in achieving the city’s urban forest goal. Interested residents can sign up for a tree guard here.