CM Bottcher: I’ve Now Planted 1,000 Trees in My District

City Council Member Erik Bottcher has officially planted 1,000 trees throughout his Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen district as of Dec. 8, fulfilling a longtime mission of his.

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 Jerold Nadler next year.

“This is just the beginning of our efforts, not just in Council District 2, but all across New York City,” he told Chelsea News.

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 numerous studies bear out.

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.

The Dec. 8 planting took place in utterly frigid weather at 555 24th St., just before 10 a.m. The chill—which “felt like” 10-12 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Apple’s Weather app—was certainly not helped by wind gusts blowing from the direction of the Hudson River, situated roughly one block away from the new tree.

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.

Bottcher began his speech by joking that he’d asked his team to find “the coldest place, the windiest place, and the earliest time in the morning” for the planting. “I’m only going to talk for 25 minutes,” he said with a grin (he did not).

“This is an exciting, exciting day for Council District 3,” he said. “Four years ago, when I took office, I set an ambitious goal...trees are the lungs of our city.”

“They 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,” he added.

Bottcher elaborated that he’d successfully pursued efforts to widen and connect tree beds, so that the 1,000 trees he planted could “live better,” with “less concrete and more room for flowers.”

Furthermore, he touted a “green fund” created in partnership with the Horticultural Society of New York, which he says has raised “well over” $100,000 to “plant more trees.”

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 “Urban Master Plan” back in 2023, which is supposed to bring “30 percent canopy coverage” to New York City by 2035.

In a final preview of additional tree-oriented legislative success, the Council Member informed the unaware that he’d introduced a bill instructing the DOT to plant more trees on city medians, which he anticipated “would pass this month.”

Cheers went up from Parks Dept. reps and local allies, who were huddled around Bottcher (and each other) for warmth, at this news.

Bottcher picked up a shovel after his 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.

“Let’s go out and create a canopy of trees, so that our city can be much cooler,” Bottcher concluded. “Although we don’t have to think about it being much cooler on a day like this. I think trees also shield us from wind.”