Some LIC residents demand more trees in their neighborhood

New York City can be at times a sanctuary.

Many in Long Island City said it’s the greenery that shields the neighborhood from noise.

Robertas Stancikas said 23rd Street and 45th Avenue is an oasis and an anomaly in Long Island City.

“This is my favorite block in LIC,” Stancikas, who supports more trees in LIC, said. “Trees lining both sides of the pavement, providing shade and greenery, so my goal is to have every block in LIC look something like this.”

The longtime LIC resident said too many streets are missing green cover.

“It’s especially sad for me to see a lot of empty tree beds that have been here for years,” he said.

But right across the Pulaski Bridge, tree lovers said Greenpoint is green. And some residents in LIC, like Stancikas, are experiencing tree envy of sorts.

“If you walk over to Greenpoint now, it’s much greener. There’s much more shade, it’s sort of much more approachable, and a nicer area,” Stancikas said.

And they have City Councilman Lincoln Restler to thank for the oaks, maples and elms. He made it a priority during his last campaign and used city funds to pay the city’s Parks Department to plant around 500 trees so far this year.

Gil Lopez was a construction manager for former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s “MillionTreesNYC” project when residents could dial 311 for a tree.

That program ended under former Mayor Eric Adams in December 2024, when the city increased efforts to target “disadvantaged communities,” or the blocks most vulnerable to extreme heat, a program which began under the Bloomberg administration.

“I want more trees everywhere,” said Lopez, who co-founded a volunteer-run community garden in LIC called Smiling Hogshead Ranch. “The trees are just lovely neighbors to have, and it’s important to steward them and take care of them, especially in our urban environment.”

The city continued its tree diversity efforts under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. His administration is planting in areas that are “tree poor.” But Mamdani added a goal to move from just under 25% tree cover citywide now to 30% by 2040.

Meanwhile, Court Square Park, which recently underwent a $4 million revitalization project, is the newest green space in LIC.

The next time LIC is slated to get more trees will be in 2030 through the Parks Department. If residents in the Queens area want to change that, they can lobby their council member.

“It can cost $3,000 up to [$5,000 or more] because [there are] permits, there’s a crew, there’s heavy equipment,” Lopez said, which is for one tree.

Councilwoman Julie Won, who represents Long Island City, said in 2025 she worked with the Parks Department to get more than 600 trees, most in Sunnyside and Woodside.

According to Won’s office, this spring, the department put in more than 400 trees — many near Queensbridge Houses in LIC. Won is also working with stakeholders to add more.

For urban forest stewards like Lopez, that means more trees to care for, and he relishes it.

“I might just be a crazy tree guy,” he said.

The Parks Department said it is fully funded to plant 18,000 trees a year.

Last year, the agency planted more than 18,000 trees, many of them in St. Albans and South Ozone Park in Queens.