A truce appears in the ‘Hands Off Our Yards’ wildfire landscaping wars
Sacramento officials came to Southern California this week for the first public meeting since they issued new proposed rules on how people in fire-prone neighborhoods will be allowed to landscape their yards. In contrast to prior proposals from the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, many who attended were … OK with this one. “It is a reasonable compromise,” Beth Burnam, who holds leadership positions in multiple local environmental and fire safety organizations, told the board. “Do I like everything? No. Can I live with it? Yes.” Under the proposal, residents would not be allowed to plant anything within a 1-foot “Safety Zone” around the home, including beneath roof overhangs; two feet from windows, vents and doors and five feet from decks. Elsewhere within a 5-foot buffer around the home, known as “Zone Zero,” grass and dispersed plants up to 18 inches tall would be permissible. Trees would also be allowed, but would need to be trimmed away from walls and roofs, and residents could install only noncombustible fencing against the house. Any sheds …


