Friends,
This summer, NYC parks has launched the biggest and best street tree census yet working with thousands of volunteers across the city to collect critical information about trees. But to get to our goal of mapping every street tree in NYC by the fall, we need your help!
Attend an event! Events are happening 7 days a week in all five boroughs – check out the events list here.
Request an event! Email treescount@parks.nyc.gov to request an event for your team, division, family or friends!
Map trees on your own! Qualify as an independent mapper and increase your block count.
When you sign up and attend an event you will get your very own NYC Tree Species ID Guide to keep – and if you map the most blocks this summer you will earn a pair of VIP tickets to the Global Citizen Concert on Sept 26th!
If your group is interested in signing up we encourage you to attend an event so that you can familiarize yourself with the project and what you will be responsible for. Below is some general information to give you an idea.
a. Groups claim zones, which are then represented by blue polygons in the progress map. Parks work with groups to pick specific blocks that best match the group.
i. Zones must be at least 50 blocks.
ii. Claiming a zone means that the group is committed to hosting training and mapping events for volunteers. NYC Parks provides train-the-trainer opportunities every Friday for groups to get comfortable with how the app works, what’s involved in data collection, and to understand what features they can use to communicate with volunteers.
iii. When a group claims a zone, they get full rights to it – they decide whether or not to allow independent mappers, and no other group can set up events there. All volunteers who want to map in that zone need to communicate with the group (which means the group gets access to a new pool of people interested in volunteering in their area).
b. Groups are profiled in the app and can be “followed” by volunteers.
i. A group isn’t required to have its own volunteer list – if the group hosts public events, everyone registered in the app can see it and potentially sign up.
ii. A group can also host private events, if it wants to map exclusively with its own members.
iii. Group profile pages include space for a description of the group, and for a group URL, so volunteers that like them have an easy route to sign up for the group’s mailing list, etc.
c. NYC Parks provides all the equipment, support staff for training events AND will help promote events if RSVPs are low.
And just for signing up to assist Parks with this large task, we have some great rewards for you!
a. For individuals register and attend events –
i. attend an event, and you get a free Tree ID guide, TreesCount hat, safety vest, measuring tape, backpack, metrocard holder, and a volunteer badge to check out equipment.
ii. Map 50 blocks, get a pair of free tickets to an NY Liberty game
iii. Map 100 blocks, get your own Tree Care Kit, which includes high quality gloves, weeder, cultivator, trowel, and a collapsible bucket.
iv. Map 200 blocks, get all that plus a Treescount tote and a tshirt
v. Map 400 blocks, get a giftcard for a free pair of Timberland boots
vi. Map 1000 blocks, get a pair of tickets to the Global Citizen Festival
vii. Map the most blocks in the city and get a pair of VIP tickets to the Global Citizen Festival
b. For groups – when you claim different numbers of blocks, you get different benefits. These are individually negotiated, but can include things like:
i. Free tree care workshop events for your group
ii. Free daffodil bulbs and wildflower flats
iii. Giveaway items for volunteers to distribute at your own discretion (snacks, waterbottles, sunglasses, etc)
iv. For SI only, some discounted passes for Citizen Pruner training are available
For further questions please feel free to reach out to TreesCount@parks.nyc.gov.
Trees count! Can we count on you?
