Forestry Committee Invites Public to Sept. 18 Meeting on Proposed Landscaping Restrictions

The Calif. Board of Forestry and Fire Protection committee that is considering new strict landscaping rules will be coming to the Los Angeles area on Thursday to both listen to the community and share its work.

In an effort to improve fire safety, the committee’s proposed regulations would severely limit landscaping in Zone 0, which is within 5 feet of homes. The regulation would affect new and old construction in local zones that have “very high” fire hazard severity, such as the Canyon as well as other parts of the state.

If the regulations go into effect, the following would be banned in Zone 0: grass, ornamental plants, native plants, shrubs, branches, fallen leaves, tree needles, weeds, wood chips, trees, boards, firewood, synthetic lawn, window boxes, and trellises. Residents of current homes would have three years to meet the requirements. An April 29 Canyon News article about the issue can be found here.

The California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Zone 0 Regulatory Advisory Committee will meet from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sept. 18 at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St. Space 106. People can attend either in person or online. However, online participants are not guaranteed the opportunity to comment.

To register for the in-person meeting, click here. To attend online, register here.

Public comments can also be emailed to PublicComments@bof.ca.gov. For more information about the committee’s landscaping proposal, visit the Board’s website at this link.

The committee will have a second virtual event on Sept. 22 at 10 a.m.