Volunteers hope to reduce wildfire risk in Brooklyn by planting less flammable vegetation
Volunteers in Marine Park, Brooklyn, spent Wednesday planting native vegetation in an effort to restore and protect the marshland and forest after several devastating wildfires burned through the area last fall.
Hundreds of wildfires burned across the city during what experts described as the driest period in recorded New York City history. Nearly a dozen acres burned in Marine Park alone in November, according to city officials.
Marine Park Alliance receives grant for restoration efforts
Student groups and community members gathered to plant northern bayberry, winged sumac, Virginia rose and other native species. It's an effort they hope will help reduce the risk of future fires.
"They're more resilient. They don't get as dry. They're not as likely to burn in a flashy way, like phragmites does," said Scott Middleton, executive director of the Marine Park Alliance.
Much of the work took place along the Salt Marsh Nature Trail, where the damage is still visible. Burned vegetation and blackened tree trunks remain as reminders of a particularly dry season.
"Hopefully, it'll be, it'll continue to be rainy and wet. But we had a huge fire on the other side of Gerritsen Creek in the middle of March," Middleton said.
"In some cases, it's just burning off sort of light brush. But in other cases, we had damage to trees and shrubs and other more permanent woody vegetation," said Eric Peterson, Marine Park Administrator for New York City Parks.
To support restoration efforts, the City Parks Foundation awarded a $20,000 grant to Marine Park Alliance. The foundation, which supports the New York City Parks Department, has been distributing similar grants to other burned greenspaces throughout the city.
"Our city's natural areas make up a huge portion of our park system. And they're some of the hardest to reach, you know, there are no fire hydrants in the same way that you would find on streets," said Heather Lubov, executive director of the City Parks Foundation.
Highly flammable grasses take over park
Leaders say these native species are less flammable and the goal is to have them outcompete the invasive and highly flammable grasses that have taken over the park.
Among the most problematic plants is phragmites, a tall, reed-like invasive species that has spread aggressively throughout the park.
"It's got insidious roots that just keep growing and growing," said Margot Perron, board member with the Marine Park Alliance. "This is the stuff that is total tinder and burns super easily."
The tall grasses can reach up to 10 feet high, crowding out native plants. That's why volunteers like Miriam Kwietniewska brought her daughter to help with the replanting effort.
"This is where we live, and there's certain animals that thrive here and certain plants. And we want to bolster it. We want to beautify it," she told Brooklyn reporter Hannah Kliger.
As new shoots of phragmites already begin to emerge from the charred soil, park leaders say the restoration effort will be a long, uphill battle.
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