Trees of New York City

[1] The New York City government, alongside an assortment of environmental organizations, actively work to plant and maintain the trees.

[5] The Lenape peoples who inhabited the greater NYC area directly prior to European colonization relied on trees for food, shelter, tool materials, fuel, and medicine.

[6] The typical Lenape house, called a longhouse, relied on the bending of the trunks taken from small trees to create a series of arches to serve as the frame.

[6] The Lenape used prickly-ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) as medicine for toothaches because chewing on the leaves or bark creates a tingling, or numbing effect in the mouth.

[7] In 1624, at the time of the founding of New Amsterdam, huge stands of oak, hickory, and chestnut trees grew throughout the island of Manhattan.

[8] The very name "Manhattan" is recorded as originally referring to a stand of hickory trees with wood suitable for bow-making, located at the southern tip of the island.

[10] Fruit trees imported during the Dutch period included apple, cherry, peach and pear planted in prominent orchards.