Staff Reporter
Clara Solis has always enjoyed the hedge outside her Highland Park home. Positioned on the sunny, south side of the house, it offers more than just a green view. On hot Los Angeles days, it provides welcome shade, and its dense leaves help shield her home from the pollution drifting in from the nearby 110 Freeway, just two blocks away.
Story Highlights
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California plans new fire safety rules for “very high” fire hazard zones.
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Homeowners may need to clear the first five feet around homes—zone zero—of bushes, hedges, flowers, firewood, and combustible fences.
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Potted plants can remain if movable.
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Trees allowed only if lowest branches are five feet above the roof.
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Rules aim to create an ember-resistant zone, reducing fire risk and improving firefighter safety.
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Highland Park residents express concern about losing neighborhood greenery.
“Those plants really make a difference,” Solis said. “They help keep my home cooler, and they also protect us a little from all the pollution that comes off the freeway.”
Her neighbors have similarly relied on small patches of greenery. In a city where space is limited, even a few shrubs or potted plants outside a window can feel like a small oasis.
“They don’t have a lot of green space,” Solis explained, “just a few shrubs right by their windows usually to protect them from the noise and pollution.”
But these quiet comforts could be at risk. The state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection is considering new rules that would affect homeowners across California who live in areas designated as “very high” fire hazard zones. If implemented, the regulations would require homeowners to clear the first five feet around their homes—an area the agency calls “zone zero”—of most flammable materials.
This includes landscaping like bushes, hedges, and flowers. Potted plants are allowed, as long as they can be moved easily. The rules also cover firewood, fallen leaves, and fences made of combustible materials, such as wood.
Well-maintained trees would still be allowed in zone zero, but only if the lowest branches are pruned to stand at least five feet above the roofline. The purpose is clear: create an “ember-resistant zone” that reduces the risk of a fire spreading directly to the house while giving firefighters safer access during emergencies.
Solis, a member of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, worries about the broader impact.
“I am concerned that if they pass this, people are just going to go left and right cutting down trees,” she said. “Neighborhoods could lose a lot of greenery very quickly.”
As Los Angeles County continues to grapple with wildfire risks, the tension between safety regulations and maintaining neighborhood greenery is becoming increasingly apparent. Residents in fire hazard zones are now weighing the value of shade, pollution protection, and community character against the urgent need for fire safety.
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