New York Consolidated Laws, Environmental Conservation Law - ENV § 53-0301. Legislative purpose

1. It is the purpose of this title to promote a comprehensive urban forestry program to assure positive benefit from urban trees planned and managed with adequate recognition of the physical, biotic and social surroundings in which they are encouraged to grow and provide their benefits.

2. Trees can serve as a vital link between man in the urban setting and his environment, if properly planned and managed.

3. Trees and shrubs can improve the quality of urban environments by helping to prevent erosion, by providing shade, modifying extremes of temperature and humidity, helping to reduce noise and air pollution, and enhancing the aesthetic quality of life.  Also, vegetation in urban green space can contribute to urban water shed management and provide habitats for desirable urban wildlife.

4. Growing conditions in urban areas for trees and associated plants are frequent and recurrent problems because of highway and street widening, sidewalk reconstruction, air pollution, modified drainage, erosion, soil fertility depletion, insects and disease, mechanical hazards and other adverse influences resulting from concentrated use of land.  On the other hand, many mature urban areas have large tracts of open space on which more urban vegetation could be grown.

5. Improved and expanded urban tree programs for planting and maintenance of trees and associated vegetation in urban areas would help make urban areas more pleasant and healthful places to live, work and visit;  and

6. Trees are an important economic asset and resource to urban areas by increasing land values and by modifying extremes of temperature, humidity and winds and thereby have an important role in reducing the amount of energy consumed in heating and cooling many urban buildings and homes.