Prospect Park is home to Brooklyn’s last remaining upland forest, over 30,000 trees, and countless native species of plants and wildlife. In November 2024, we all felt how much our cherished woodlands mean to our Brooklyn community when we experienced unprecedented drought conditions and a 2-alarm fire in a core two acres of our beloved woodland Ravine. The fire damaged all three layers of forest in the area, including overstory trees, smaller midstory trees and shrubs, and herbaceous ground cover. Thanks to an outpouring of support from our community, Prospect Park Alliance has kicked off our ongoing work to restore the site of the fire. Read more and see the Alliance’s work in-action below.

If you’ve taken a stroll through the paved paths of the Ravine in recent weeks, you may have spotted Prospect Park Alliance’s Landscape Management team in-action, working to stabilize the area using biodegradable mesh. Stabilizing the area is the first step of a multi-year restoration project developed by the Alliance’s team of ecologists, forestry technicians and arborists in collaboration with our partners at NYC Parks. “In recent weeks, parkgoers may have seen brown mesh and tubes of compressed straw covering the steeply sloped Ravine hill. This biodegradable mesh is made from plants and helps hold the soil in place and prevent erosion, and will eventually allow us to plant here” shares Prospect Park Alliance Landscape Manager, Hannah Sassoon. “The Ravine, one of the first sites of the restoration work the Alliance began in early 1990s, is a part of the “Forever Wild” area of Prospect Park, a designation that means it has rare and important native species of plants and animals.”

“The recent fire in the core of our beloved woodland Ravine highlighted the vulnerability of our city’s treasured green spaces. As extreme weather events become more common, the role of our parks in building climate resilience is more vital than ever before,” said Prospect Park Alliance President, Morgan Monaco. “We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support that has enabled Prospect Park Alliance to begin long-term work to restore this cherished area of Brooklyn’s Backyard. Our woodlands are a destination for respite, healing and exploration, and we thank our community for supporting the Alliance’s work to ensure that these natural areas will be sustained for generations to come.”

Prospect Park Alliance’s Landscape Management team unrolling biodegradable mesh at the site of the fire.

The team is now kicking off work to seed and plant the area with the three layers of flora needed for a diverse and healthy forest: native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. These native species include Elymus hystrix (bottlebrush grass), Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beardtongue), Amelanchier canadensis (serviceberry), five different species of oak and much more. The Alliance’s work to restore this area will continue over many seasons, with dedicated care and monitoring to ensure the Ravine’s long-term health and resilience. The Alliance looks forward to volunteers joining the efforts to restore this site in the seasons to come.

Support the Alliance’s ongoing restoration work to restore the site of the fire + sustain Brooklyn’s last remaining forest.

New York City is experiencing unprecedented drought conditions, on Friday, November 8, Prospect Park experienced a 2-alarm fire in two acres of our beloved woodland Ravine, Brooklyn’s last remaining upland forest. Thanks to the quick response of 106 Fire and EMS Personnel on scene, the fire was quickly contained and extinguished later that night.

“We thank the FDNY, NYPD and its sister agencies who responded quickly to the situation and got the fire under control,” shares Prospect Park Alliance President, Morgan Monaco. “Damage to the park’s Ravine is particularly devastating as it is home to hundreds of species of trees, plants and wildlife that depend upon our woodlands for their health and well-being. We are so thankful to our community for the outpouring of support and care in stewarding our beloved park. Recent weeks have brought to the forefront of our minds just how essential our green oasis is to our community.”

Caring for the woodlands is core to the Alliance mission, and our team of ecologists, forestry technicians and arborists is working with our partners at NYC Parks to assess the damage and start work to stabilize the area and restore it with native plantings. “This devastated area will need major forest restoration efforts including slope stabilization and replanting of all three layers of the forest: overstory trees, midstory shrubs and herbaceous ground cover,” shares Prospect Park Alliance Director of Landscape Management, Leila Mougoui Bakhtiari. “This kind of forest restoration will take several years to undertake, and will need extensive long-term care to make sure the plant material is properly established and grows. The fire was located in a hard-to-access area due to the steep nature of the hill that will make this kind of long-term care challenging, and the Alliance’s restoration work in this area all the more essential.”

Notes of support left by community members in Prospect Park’s ravine.

As the Alliance continues assessing the fire’s damage, we anticipate losing some of the large canopy trees due to the damage, which will create light gaps and opportunities for invasive species to dominate the area. The location of the fire is also a “Forever Wild” area of the park, a designation that means it has rare and important native species of plants and animals, making our ongoing restoration to work in this area all the more essential.

The Ravine was one of the Alliance’s first forest restoration sites when we began our work to sustain the park in the early 1990s, and is essential to the health and vitality of our natural areas. In the months to come, the Alliance will share volunteer opportunities with our community to also lend a hand in helping our team restore this vital area of our forest.

While the city continues to experience severe drought conditions, grilling is currently banned, and smoking and open flames remain illegal. Any fires should be reported immediately to 911.