citymeetings.nyc

- New York City Council
- COMING MAY 1ST Charter Revision Commission
- City of Yes
- Request Coverage
About
FAQ
PRO

Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.

AGENCY TESTIMONY

Proactive brush fire prevention measures in NYC parks

0:23:28

·

64 sec

Video Player is loading.

Current TimeÂ 0:00

DurationÂ 2:27:51

Loaded: 0%

Stream TypeÂ LIVE

Remaining TimeÂ 2:27:51

Â

Marit Larsen details the Parks Department's proactive efforts to prevent brush fires in the city's natural areas.

Mentions the forest management framework, a 25-year plan for managing and restoring city forests
Describes strategies such as removing overabundant species and planting appropriate trees and shrubs
Highlights efforts to restore degraded habitats to native plant communities that are less prone to fire

Marit Larsen

0:23:28

Regarding our proactive efforts, we strive to manage and maintain the 14,000 acres of our natural areas around the city in a manner that helps minimize occurrences of brush fires.

0:23:39

Our agency's forest management framework, a 25 year plan jointly developed by New York City Parks Natural Resources Group and our partners at the Natural Area Conservancy, guides the management and restoration of our city forests, including brush fire prevention measures.

0:23:53

Strategies described within this framework include removal of overabundant and fast growing species such as phragmites and mugwort, which cause fires to spread faster and burn longer, as well as planting appropriate trees and shrubs to increase species diversity and improve the overall ecosystem health.

0:24:09

We also work to restore degraded habitats to native plant communities that are less prone to fire such as coastal forests and, emergent wetlands where appropriate.

0:24:18

We appreciate the council's strong support for these efforts over the years and look forward to continuing that partnership.

0:24:24

As one might imagine, it's exceedingly difficult to identify precise cause for any given brush fire in a natural area, but human activities are typically the cause.

← Previous Chapter

Post-fire recovery efforts and improvements in fire response

Next Chapter →

Importance of public cooperation in preventing brush fires