Making Jackson Heights Mother Nature’s Home in the City
If you’re out Saturday mornings, especially along 34th or 37th Avenue, you’ve probably seen JHBG Tree LC volunteers wielding hoses, shovels, and pruning saws as they care for crucial but overlooked green spaces in park-deprived Jackson Heights.
What We Do
Along curbs and around public buildings, JHBG plants street trees; creates butterfly gardens, and even a native, mini forest at PS 69. We also work with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to plant dozens more new street trees here. Then we water, weed, and make sure these green spaces thrive in what could otherwise be a harsh urban environment.
You’ve seen our work, the butterfly gardens around tree beds, at the Jackson Heights Post Office and at PS 69, where there are four native meadows and our pocket forest. We’ve received citywide attention in The New York Times and WCBS Channel 2 News.
We do this 52 weeks a year, rarely missing a volunteer session, a commitment that starting in 2021 has made Tree LC the most active tree stewardship group in our city, according to the Parks Department website. We tallied nearly 2,200 tree care activities in 2025, well ahead of the nearest organization.
The Value of Street Trees
Our goals go far beyond making Jackson Heights look pretty; we see these trees and gardens as making our neighborhood more environmentally sustainable, by cleaning the air and absorbing stormwater that would pollute surrounding waterways or result in flooding. In the face of extreme heat due to climate change, trees are especially important. They are nature’s air conditioners. Areas with many trees, especially big trees, are significantly cooler than neighborhoods lacking them. In turn, these spaces become mini-habitats for beneficial insects and birds. We are expanding this ecosystem across the 11372 ZIP Code with a project we call the Jackson Heights Pollinator Pathway. Along with public spaces, this project is expanding to homes and apartment buildings. That’s the idea behind our slogan “Making Jackson Heights Mother Nature’s home in the city.”
Making a Difference for NYC
Our work is having impacts beyond Jackson Heights. We are a founding member of Forest for All NYC, a coalition approaching 200 members that successfully pushed for a law that increased NYC’s cooling tree canopy to 30 percent. We’ve also participated in rallies at City Hall for NYC Parks funding and for pro-tree policies.
How You Can Help
Our volunteers range in age from kindergarten to retirees, with many school children joining us to fulfill community-service requirements. Some value the experience and continue to volunteer after fulfilling that responsibility.
Here’s a short video about our work:
We typically work for two hours on Saturdays, meeting 10 AM in front of 35-41 80th St. JHBG Tree LC supplies the tools and gloves; volunteers bring drinking water. If you are interested in working with us or learning to care for a tree near your house, please contact us by email at jhbgtree@gmail.com.
Photo Gallery
