Landscaping for Wildfire and Zone 0

Since the Palisades Fire, many of us are looking to understand why some homes burned and others didn't, as well as what fire prevention measures we can take before the next fire. A large part of the discussion has centered around Zone 0 and the role of landscaping. Can we landscape for wildfire?

In a recent Steve Lopez article in the LA Times, experts pointed out that

Structures, rather than vegetation, served as the primary fuel for spreading fires that were ignited by windblown embers.
Hardening structures against fire is critical, but fire-resistant landscaping is also important, and can help protect homes.
Brush clearance is a term that can be misunderstood; the best strategy is to have more of the right kind of vegetation and less of the wrong kind.

Please join us Tuesday, February 18 at 7pm on Zoom when we will have Dr. Jon Keeley speak about Southern California Wildfires: Past, Present and Future-Adaptations. Dr. Keeley, one of the foremost fire ecologists, will talk about his research and recent studies on whether a native landscape can be an ecologically responsible approach to creating effective defensible space.

Jon E. Keeley is a Senior research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, adjunct professor at UCLA, research associate with the California Botanic Garden, former program director at the National Science Foundation, recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and Ecological Society of America Fellow. His research has focused on the evolution of fire-adaptive traits (characteristics of plants and animals that help them survive wildfires or take advantage of resources created by them), ecological life history strategies of plants and management of fire-prone ecosystems. He has over 400 publications, which have garnered more than 47,000 citations. He is senior author of a 2012 Cambridge University Press book Fire in Mediterranean Climate Ecosystems: Ecology, Evolution and Management.