Where are the pruning crews? NYC’s Forestry budget and Queens’ missing tree work
Kew Gardens residents know the problem firsthand: overgrown street trees, falling branches, and pruning requests that go nowhere. A September 2026 report on the Parks Department’s forestry budget and pruning records helps explain why.
Less Money, Fewer Workers, Less Pruning
Forestry funding dropped from $36.6 million in FY2025 to $30.0 million in FY2026, and staff fell from 264 to 197.
Citywide pruning fell 47% in FY2026 after a major pruning contractor went out of business.
The city doesn’t break forestry spending down by borough, so Queens residents can’t see what is spent on our trees.
Queens is furthest behind
Queens has the most street trees in the city, so it gets the most scheduled pruning. Yet it has the worst record of completed work:
On the FY2026 pruning contract, Queens recorded just 22 completed jobs. Staten Island recorded about 4,400.
Why This Matters
The city’s records can’t tell us whether Queens trees were pruned and the paperwork was never closed out, or whether the work simply stopped. The contractor that collapsed in FY2026 hasn’t been named, but the Queens pattern is consistent with it being a Queens contractor. Either way, residents are left with overgrown trees, safety risks, and no accountability.