Q&A
Identification and protection of areas vulnerable to brush fires
0:36:28
ยท
67 sec
Council Member Krishnan inquires about the Parks Department's efforts to identify areas more vulnerable to brush fires and their plans to protect these areas. Marit Larsen responds with information on their approach to managing fire-prone areas.
- Krishnan asks about identifying areas more vulnerable to brush fires
- He inquires about plans to protect these vulnerable areas
- Larsen mentions that Staten Island has been a particular concern for fires in past decades
- The department has a community wildfire protection plan for Staten Island
- They focus on reducing fuel load in fire-prone areas
- The department uses a forest management framework to prioritize work and balance various considerations
Shekar Krishnan
0:36:28
Are you seeing if there are areas in particular that are more vulnerable than others to these kinds of fires?
0:36:35
And then how are you all changing your plan now to protect those vulnerable areas?
Marit Larsen
0:36:41
Well, generally, going back to our, participation with other agencies, including, of course, FDNY, in Staten Island, fires in past decades have been of particular concern.
0:36:53
So, it's they have that has been on our radar for a long time.
0:36:57
For example, we have a a community wildfire protection plan in Staten Island, and resources actually, through that plan devoted towards reducing fuel load in those areas.
0:37:09
So we really, focus on looking at the concerns and balancing both a concern about, you know, potentially fire risk, but also overall maintaining the health of our our natural areas.
0:37:22
And as I also mentioned in the testimony, we have a forest management framework that helps us, helps determine where we are prioritizing our work and taking in a lot of different considerations.