There are more than 2,000 public parks in New York, each dotted with lush trees, bushes, and fields.

Parks provide a refuge for residents of a busy city. But they also make the region more prone to bushfires during drought. From November 1 to November 1. On December 14, in the midst of a historic drought, there were 271 fires, the most in a two-week period in the city’s history.

Today, the FDNY created its first wildfire task force, comprised of fire marshals, fire inspectors and tactical drones.

“By establishing this task force, we are taking concrete steps to prevent bushfires from happening, putting protocols in place to keep our members safe while they are in the field, and working to identify causes of these fires after they keep New Yorkers safe in the future,” FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said in a statement released Sunday.

The creation of the city’s task force comes as a wildfire straddling the New York-New Jersey state line has raged for more than a week. On Saturday evening, several hundred Orange County residents were asked to evacuate as the Jennings Creek Fire breached containment, according to the Associated Press. The fire, which has burned more than 5,000 acres in New York and New Jersey, was 88% contained as of Saturday.

Firefighters from 37 fire departments across Nassau and Suffolk were sent in shifts to help battle the stubborn Jennings Creek Fire, authorities said.

“It really all comes down to the same thing, and the brush is no different in New York than it is in Orange County, it’s extremely dry,” Nassau County Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said. “It’s deeply dry. The problem is when these fires start, not only do you see the fire above, but the fire is also burning underneath the brush.

“If you’ve ever walked in a forest or in a park in the woods, it’s old leaves, old twigs, old combustible and natural debris,” Uttaro said Sunday.

Last weekend, a two-alarm fire in Prospect Park in Brooklyn made headlines after burning two acres of a tract of woods in the 526-acre park.

National Weather Service meteorologist John Murray attributed the lack of rain to recent high-pressure weather systems, which brought increased wind and fewer clouds.

“We haven’t had a lot of storm systems in the area,” Murray said. “When we move a funnel system, we find that it is dry, with virtually no rain.”

The FDNY task force will use drones to assess risk areas before fires start, as well as during fires to provide real-time situational awareness. The task force will also gather data on wind patterns, topography and fire-prone areas to help prevent fires. After fires, task force members will conduct investigations using burn patterns, weather conditions and witness reports.

In its announcement, the FDNY encouraged New Yorkers to avoid outdoor fires, including campfires, bonfires and any other open flames, and to be careful about smoking.

“It’s a community effort,” Uttaro said. “We will put out fires, but we’d rather they don’t start in the first place.”

Joshua Needelman covers the town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and graduate of the University of Maryland, his work has appeared in publications including the New York Times and the Washington Post.