You can’t really call the New York City Council a rubber stamp, Henry Stern once observed, “because a rubber stamp leaves an impression.”

Stern, who died Thursday at 83, was a wry and honest critic of local politics, even keeping it up in retirement via his New York Civic blog.

But he’ll be remembered for the parks he loved. In stints under Mayors Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani, Parks Commissioner Stern led the transformation of countless acres of worn-down, dusty and neglected “greenspace” into the gems the city now enjoys.

When funding cuts slashed his budget, he recruited tens of thousands of volunteers, and helped foster the use of nonprofits and private fundraisers to more than make up the difference. Under Giuliani alone, he grew the city’s parklands by 6 percent, while restoring thousands of acres of forest and planting 100,000 new street trees.

Graduating Bronx Science at 15, then City College en route to finishing Harvard Law at 22, his horizons were endless. But he chose to devote his life to this city, serving two terms on the council before taking over at Parks.

Take a walk in the park this weekend, and hug a tree in memory of Henry Stern. RIP.