You are reading

Council Unanimously Passes Koo’s Bill Aimed at Protecting City Trees

Mayor Bill de Blasio surveys a tree that was toppled in a storm in Astoria in August (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)

Dec. 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin

The City Council passed a bill Thursday aimed at protecting city trees across the five boroughs.

The Council voted unanimously in favor of a bill sponsored by Flushing Council Member Peter Koo that requires the Parks Department to more regularly inspect trees and to publish its findings for the public to see.

The legislation requires the department to conduct health and safety inspections of nearly every street tree at least once per pruning cycle.

The department, according to the bill, must also regularly maintain and update a map on its website that shows the trees that it has inspected, the results of the inspections as well as the actions taken by Parks staff in response to its findings.

Koo’s legislation also requires the department to submit an annual report on how many damaged or dead trees are reported to 311 each year, how many are actually inspected and the results of such inspections.

Koo said the city is often slow to address — if they take action at all — dead and rotting trees that are potentially dangerous. More frequent inspections will keep city trees healthy and prevent dead or damaged trees from falling and crushing people and property, he added.

“Too often our constituents reach out to 311 to report damaged, unhealthy and dangerous trees, only to watch them fall during the next severe storm due to the city’s inaction,” Koo said in a statement. “By requiring more regular risk and health assessments, we are ensuring that our urban canopy will last for generations to come.”

The bill was co-sponsored by several of Koo’s Queens colleagues. Queens Council Members James Gennaro, Robert Holden, Paul Vallone, Jimmy Van Bramer, Adrienne Adams, Selvena Brooks-Powers and Eric Ulrich co-sponsored the bill in addition to nine council members from other boroughs.

The legislation is set to take effect 90 days after it is signed into law.

“Ultimately, this bill increases governmental transparency, keeps our residents safer, and protects our urban canopy,” Koo said.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Unlicensed but essential: Street vendors seek reform amid enforcement fears

Jun. 23, 2025 By Jimmy Robles

Many street vendors in New York City face significant challenges from the moment they set up their stands, striving to make an honest living. With more than 20,000 food vendors operating across the five boroughs, an estimated 75% do so without a license or permit, due in large part to the city’s decades-old cap on available permits.

Repeat hate crime offender charged in anti-Muslim subway attack in Forest Hills: DA

A Southeast Queens man is being held without bail after he was criminally charged with assault in the first degree as a hate crime and other charges for allegedly punching and kicking a Muslim woman on an E train in Forest Hills during the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 18.

Naved Durrni, 34, of 106th Avenue in Jamaica, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Thursday and additionally charged with aggravated harassment in the first and second degrees.

Hate Crimes Task Force investigating bomb threats against Mamdani: NYPD

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force launched a probe into multiple death threats made against Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani after his district office at 24-08 32nd St. in Astoria received four expletive-filled phone voicemails, on various dates, making threatening anti-Muslim statements by an unknown individual, including a threat to blow up his car.

The calls were made from an untraceable number and labeled the mayoral candidate a “terrorist who is not welcome in New York or America” in a message phoned in on Wednesday morning.

Seven teens indicted for attempted murder in brutal Kissena Park gang attack on two girls: DA

A Queens grand jury indicted seven teenagers for attempted murder, gang assault, robbery, and other crimes for an attack on two girls inside Kissena Park in Flushing in early May.

The defendants, who are all 17 years old, were variously arraigned in Queens Supreme Court between June 4 and Wednesday in two separate 25-count indictments with two counts of attempted murder in the second degree. If convicted, they face up to 25 years in prison.