Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Breakdown and discussion of forestry division staffing numbers
1:01:47
ยท
127 sec
Commissioner Susan Donoghue provides a breakdown of staff numbers in the forestry and natural resources divisions. Council Member Krishnan expresses concern about the adequacy of staffing levels for tree care across the city.
- 220 full-time employees in the tree risk management division
- 62 full-time positions plus seasonal hires in the natural resources group
- Council member calculates an average of 40 staff members per borough for tree care
- Discussion on the reliance on volunteers and partners to supplement staff resources
Susan Donoghue
1:01:47
Yes, absolutely.
1:01:49
So, as Jennifer attested, you know, there is there can often be confusion between our forestry division and our natural resources division, but we have two twenty full time employees for our tree risk management division, which are the foresters, the inspectors, climbers, pruners, and then in our natural resources group which cares for our natural areas.
1:02:17
I know Jennifer you gave me that.
1:02:19
We have 62 full time positions plus five agency funded seasonal hires and 19 grant funded seasonal staff.
Shekar Krishnan
1:02:29
So two twenty managing our trees and caring for our trees, separate from the natural areas, but two twenty full time positions within our forestry division for our trees.
1:02:42
Right?
1:02:43
That averages about 40 staff members per borough.
1:02:48
For the entire borough, 40 staff members.
1:02:51
Do you think that that is sufficient to care for our street trees and tree canopy across the city?
Susan Donoghue
1:02:58
There is no doubt as a commissioner, you know, I'd always be, you know, welcome more resources to do our work, certainly, and that's where, you know, we rely so heavily on volunteers and partners and other entities we've worked really closely with to ensure more assistance and more help for our tree care across the city.
Shekar Krishnan
1:03:19
But if we wanna look at why it takes so long to care, plant trees, or to take down trees in our city, it seems to me the first place to start is to look at how woefully underfunded our forestry division is, how we simply don't have enough people to plant trees or care for them across the city.
1:03:36
And to me, I'm shocked to, again, as I said, the three areas you can look at are very important are PEP officers, forestry division, urban park rangers.
1:03:45
We have 40 full time staff per borough to take care of all the trees in every single borough in New York City, which is unacceptable and shockingly low.