There’s a citywide effort to plant more trees in Midtown this month to better combat air pollution and a lack of greenery, advocates said. The shaded areas that are formed by tree branches and leaves, known as tree canopies, help the environment but are scarce in the neighborhood. 

In a 2024 study of environmental justice issues in New York City from the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice, Midtown Manhattan falls in the bottom quartile of park acres per 1,000 residents and has the least tree canopy coverage in the city. According to the report, this leads to widespread pollution linked to asthma, lung disease, respiratory and cardiovascular disease.

Through a monitoring program operated by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Midtown was listed as one of the neighborhoods with the greatest levels of pollutants, including fine particulate matter, black carbon, and nitrogen oxide. 

Places like Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal, on West 42nd Street, face significant challenges because of high air pollution emissions. According to official data collected by the Times Square Alliance, on average, the area regularly sees between 250,000 to 300,000 pedestrians a day. 

To many, planting trees can be a simple solution.

“Tree canopy can help benefit people in lots of ways, including through reducing some key environmental challenges, including air pollution and urban heat,” said Michael Treglia, a lead scientist at the Nature Conservancy.

But one challenge is that industrial areas like Midtown have less ground level space to plant trees compared to less developed neighborhoods, he said.

In Fall 2023, two laws (local law 148 and law 135) went into effect requiring a city-wide mandate to become more sustainable and reach at least 30% tree canopy by 2035.

“In so many parts of New York City, they [trees] are things that a lot of people don’t even think about or realize are there on a daily basis, and they do need attention and care,” said Treglia.

Midtown workers also notice the lack of green space. 

“There should be more places like Bryant Park, for example, in the whole Midtown,” said Denies Hernandez, a cashier at Dippin’ Dots, an ice-cream store in Times Square. Hernandez said that Bryant Park is one of the few places he can go and rest when he’s not working.

Matthew Ardizzone, a programmer who lives in Long Island and is looking to move to Midtown to be closer to his job, but has noticed the poor air quality. “When you walk past the subway, it smells a little bit, but besides that, it’s pretty okay,” he said.

According to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine’s office, planting trees is one of the city’s priorities. 

Since last January, NYC Parks has planted about 1,200 new street trees in Manhattan with plans to plant around 800 more in the near future.

Meanwhile, the third annual City of Forest Day, a celebration with over 85 events across the city to raise awareness about trees, will be held on Saturday, October 26.