In November 2024, the New York Fire Department stated that it had responded to 229 brush fires throughout the city within only two weeks, the highest number in history. This came after historically low precipitation levels throughout New York City, with dry conditions creating the perfect combination for igniting brush fires.
One of these fires was located in Inwood Hill Park in Northern Manhattan, which burned over 11 acres of forested area. The New York City Parks Department forestry services called for removing nine trees, including a few that fell onto the walking paths. Volunteers also assisted with the extinguishing of the fires as they continued to smolder days later.
“In New York City, weather and climate are one of the primary drivers for this kind of fire behavior… the conditions we had for October and November, particularly the several-week periods with no rain, are in my view the primary reason,” said Kip Stein, director for natural areas management at NYC Parks, when discussing the cause of the uptick in brush fires.
Inwood Hill Park, which has an extensive history of human activity dating back to prehistoric times, also uniquely contains the last natural forest in Manhattan. A plaque located on a boulder near the baseball fields tells the legend of Peter Minuit, director of the Dutch Colony of New Netherland, and his deceptive acquisition of the island of Manhattan from the Lenape Indigenous people in exchange for “trinkets” under a giant tulip tree.
The tulip tree grew 165 feet and lived to be 225 years old, eventually dying around 1932. Historians have noted how this natural forest has a rich history and significance for the generations of Native Americans whose ancestors once lived within it.
Thankfully, after the fire in November, there are clear signs of regrowth. Some of the trees in Inwood Hill are up to 100 years old, and these native plants are resilient to fire damage, giving NYC Parks workers and volunteers hope for regeneration. ”We are working to create a more resilient native forest to respond to not just this disturbance but other natural disasters and extreme weather events in the future,” Stein said when asked about restoration events that have been taking place in Inwood Hill Park for the last few decades.
Through the winter, NYC Parks and their volunteers will monitor damaged vegetation to assess what areas may need further intervention for regrowth. In the spring, in collaboration with Friends of Inwood Hill Park, native trees will be planted in these harder-hit areas to support the resilience of the forest.
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Ayanna Dickinson
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Ayanna Dickinson was born and raised in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in northern Manhattan. She is currently enrolled at CUNY Hunter College, pursuing a degree in Urban Studies. Ayanna attended science enrichment programs at the Museum of Natural History as a middle and high schooler; this allowed her to study a variety of subjects such as DNA barcoding, astronomy, and ethnobotany. She was also selected as a Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellow in 2019, where she conducted a research project on participatory conservation efforts in the Chocóan Rainforest. As an Inside Climate News fellow, she writes about climate issues in New York City and other urban climate challenges.
