A second phase of invasive species removal work at Rodman's Neck this week.
Crews will be working in two locations along both sides of City Island Road between the City Island Bridge and the traffic circle. This work is part of the MillionTrees NYC reforestation work that has been taking place all around the park for nearly five years now.
All work will be overseen by NYC Parks’ Natural Resources Group. On the south side of the road, work will continue from areas cleared last summer. Selective removals of invasive species will take place in the forest understory here between the ballfields and the NYPD Firing Range. On the north side of City Island Road, removals will take place along the woodland edge adjacent to the bike path.
The areas selected for restoration are within a larger complex of on-going natural areas management sites within Pelham Bay Park. These sites are overrun by invasive species such as Porcelainberry, Oriental Bittersweet, Mile-A-Minute, and Multiflora Rose. Removing these invasive, non-native vines and shrubs will enable us to reforest the area with native trees and shrubs over the next few years. This natural areas restoration work is a vital step to improve the overall quality of forest in the park, thus enhancing biodiversity and wildlife habitat.
Million TreesNYC, a cornerstone of Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC vision to establish a healthier, more sustainable New York City, is a public-private partnership between the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and Bette Midler's New York Restoration Project, through which one million trees will be planted and cared for throughout the five boroughs by 2017. Since MillionTrees NYC was launched in October 2007, over 600,000 trees have been planted.