Requires the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation to review the policies of the department of parks and recreation of the city of New York regarding trees and tree maintenance.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1413
SPONSOR: Rozic TITLE OF BILL:
An act in relation to requiring the office of parks, recreation and
historic preservation to review the policies of the department of parks
and recreation of the city of New York regarding trees and tree mainte-
nance
PURPOSE:
To require the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to
review the policies of the Department of Parks and Recreation of the
city of New York regarding trees and tree maintenance.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section I of this bill states that notwithstanding any other rule, regu-
lation or policy to the contrary, the Office of Parks, Recreation and
Historic Preservation shall review and provide oversight to the Depart-
ment of Parks and Recreation of the city of New York in relation to
city-owned trees, tree maintenance, care and cultivation of such trees,
and any other matters the Department of Environmental Conservation deems
necessary.
Section II sets forth the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION: For years there has been an increasing
JUSTIFICATION: number of serious injuries and deaths resulting from
falling trees in New York City parks. For example, in Bryant Park on
September 4, 2015 a large tree branch fell on top of five people, injur-
ing three of them seriously. In 2013, a young woman, Yingyi Li-Dikov, 6
months pregnant with her first child, was killed when she was struck by
a falling tree in Kissena Park in Queens. Between 2010 and 2013 there
were at least 4 deaths that resulted from diseased or damaged trees that
had fallen.
Public properties belonging to the city of New York are home to thou-
sands of trees in varying states of health. The city is responsible for
maintaining these trees so that they remain healthy and do not pose
extraordinary dangers to public safety and property. Due to widespread
concerns that New York City's policies on the care and maintenance of
trees is not sufficient to protect the public from unsafe trees, and to
ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent in the most efficient and
effective manner, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and
Historic Preservation should be granted regulatory authority to investi-
gate the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation's policies on
tree maintenance.
This bill would authorize the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation
and Historic Preservation to exercise oversight of the New York City
Department of Parks and Recreation concerning the care and maintenance
of city trees.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2022: A397 (Rozic) - Tourism, parks, arts and sports development
2021: A397 (Rozic) - Tourism, parks, arts and sports development
2020: A5945 (Rozic) - Environmental Conservation
2019: A5945 (Rozic) - Environmental Conservation
2018: A001335 (Rozic) - Environmental Conservation
2016: A105897 (Rozic) - Environmental Conservation
FISCAL IMPACT ON THE STATE:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1413
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 17, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ROZIC -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
AN ACT in relation to requiring the office of parks, recreation and
historic preservation to review the policies of the department of
parks and recreation of the city of New York regarding trees and tree
maintenance
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Notwithstanding any other rule, regulation or policy to the
2 contrary, the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation
3 shall review and provide oversight to the department of parks and recre-
4 ation of the city of New York in relation to city-owned trees, tree
5 maintenance, care and cultivation of such trees, liability in case of
6 personal or property injury by such trees, and any other matters the
7 office of parks, recreation and historic preservation deems necessary.
8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00436-01-3
