City Council Member Erik Bottcher has officially planted 1,000 trees throughout his Chelsea and Hell\u2019s Kitchen district as of Dec. 8, fulfilling a longtime mission of his.<\/p>\n
He also promptly promised to plant another 1,000 trees in four years, before the trophy sapling was even ensconced in dirt. However, he provided some wiggle room as to whether the next batch will be entirely local; Bottcher is, after all, officially running for the Manhattan-spanning congressional seat being vacated by the retiring Jerrold Nadler next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just the beginning of our efforts, not just in Council District 3, but all across New York City,\u201d he told Chelsea News<\/em>.<\/p>\n Bottcher had promised to accomplish 1,000 plantings by the time he left office, and has emphasized that building a substantial urban tree canopy can mitigate the effects of climate change, which<\/a> numerous<\/a> studies bear out.<\/p>\n Bottcher was elected to City Council in 2021, before being re-elected to another term in November. This means that he managed to achieve his tree-planting goal before his second term formally begins in January, which he says is ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n The Dec. 8 planting took place in utterly frigid weather at 555 24th St., just before 10 a.m. The chill\u2014which \u201cfelt like\u201d 10-12 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Apple\u2019s Weather app\u2014was certainly not helped by wind gusts blowing from the direction of the Hudson River, situated roughly one block away from the new tree.<\/p>\n Bottcher picked up a shovel after giving prepared remarks, joining contractors who were packing the sapling into a pre-dug hole. Once it was nice and snug, he triumphantly posed with it for photos.<\/p>\n Bottcher began his speech by joking that he\u2019d asked his team to find \u201cthe coldest place, the windiest place, and the earliest time in the morning\u201d for the planting. \u201cI\u2019m only going to talk for 25 minutes,\u201d he said with a grin (he did not).<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an exciting, exciting day for Council District 3,\u201d he said. \u201cFour years ago, when I took office, I set an ambitious goal. . . . Trees are the lungs of our city.<\/p>\n \u201cThey clean our air. We are a coastal city. They absorb rainwater and runoff, they absorb floodwater, they cool our streets during heat waves, they provide habitats for native species such as birds and insects . . . and yes, cars drive slower on tree-lined streets,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Bottcher elaborated that he\u2019d successfully pursued efforts to widen and connect tree beds, so that the 1,000 trees he planted could \u201clive better,\u201d with \u201cless concrete and more room for flowers.\u201d<\/p>\n Furthermore, he touted a \u201cgreen fund\u201d created in partnership with the Horticultural Society of New York, which he says has raised \u201cwell over\u201d $100,000 to \u201cplant more trees.\u201d<\/p>\n In what may have been a subtle reference to his ambitions for higher office, Bottcher also brought up his successful Council bill that instituted a citywide \u201cUrban Master Plan\u201d back in 2023, which is supposed to bring \u201c30 percent canopy coverage\u201d to New York City by 2035.<\/p>\n In a final preview<\/a> of additional tree-oriented legislative success, the Council member informed the unaware that he\u2019d introduced a bill instructing the Department of Transportation to plant more trees on city medians, which he anticipated \u201cwould pass this month.\u201d<\/p>\n Cheers went up from Parks Department reps and local allies, who were huddled around Bottcher (and one another) for warmth, at this news.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go out and create a canopy of trees, so that our city can be much cooler,\u201d Bottcher concluded. \u201cAlthough we don\u2019t have to think about it being much cooler on a day like this. I think trees also shield us from wind.\u201d<\/p>\n