You Calculate

We do too! Let’s share our Zone 0 math.

Your answers to our Zone 0 Personality Quiz show that you carefully calculate decisions. If we know you, you may be watching and waiting to act on wildfire defense recommendations. You want to be sure the actions you take are necessary and wise.

If you are new to the Zone 0 conversation, it may feel like there are all kinds of controversies to research and options to consider. That is how it feels – and yet much of the science and policy are well-settled.  We’ll show you what Zone 0 looks like when those areas are addressed – then, we’ll outline the areas where there is broad agreement.

Established tree canopy is welcome in Zone 0. It needs to be limbed up and away
from roofs, chimneys, vents, siding, and the ground.

A Calculated Aesthetic

Would you suspect the home featured above has a 5-foot ember resistant Zone 0? The aesthetic impact is minimal when foundation foliage is moved or planted 6-feet from the home. It’s more than pretty. The owners find home maintenance and hardening is much easier with a little space.

Overall, this property will maintain its lush, leafy aesthetic and certified wildlife habitat credentials. Even with an ember resistant Zone 0, the all native garden offers more habitat than similar landscapes with turf grass and non-native foliage.

On the far right, you can see a large hedge between the home and the drive. The homeowners are still calculating the risk and reward of keeping it In the meantime, to minimize its risk of ignition, branches are limbed up from the ground and away from siding. Gravel fills the area at its base.

Brick, flagstone, and decomposed granite were all aesthetically cohesive options for this home’s Zone 0.

The owners were among the first Angelenos to take action when LA County Fire Department began speaking about the impacts of Zone 0. They took their time and carefully thought through the aesthetics. The Zone 0 in front could have mimicked the brick, flagstone or decomposed granite of the pre-existing back patios. Instead, they decided on gravel for cohesion with the garden’s streetside edging and to limit pressure on the roots of the established trees.

Tips for Calculators

The news will focus on areas where there is controversy. Ignore it. Take action where there is scientific and policy consensus. Here is where we see that.

A trunk like this is exceedingly difficult to ignite.

Established Trees

Unless they are of particularly combustible varieties (Palm, Juniper, Cypress), established trees will be allowed in Zone 0. Don’t remove them! They add so much to life, and they are very unlikely to ignite if they are well-maintained and hydrated.

Do make sure your trees are well pruned. They should have clearance from your roof as well as your siding – that’s always been required. It’s useful for those outside of fire hazard zones as well, as it will help prevent animals and termites from gaining access to a home.

This Zone 0 also safeguards the tree by limiting fuel under its’ crowns. It protects the trees from ignition as well as the home.

Attached Fences

During the LA Fires, wood fences were one of the top two reasons homes ignited, some days after the fire front had passed. If your fence attaches to your home, consider replacing the closest 5-feet with metal or another ember resistant material.

Distanced living spaces distance human-made fuels.

Human Made Materials

Angelenos tend to hear “fuels” and think of foliage. We need to think of our propane tanks. Paint cans. Coal BBQs. Polyester cushions and plastic furniture. Synthetic turf. Homeowners are often blind to them as we look for “contiguous fuels.” Yet, these items will ignite faster, burn hotter, and cast more embers than well maintained foliage. It is definitively worth the time to take these actions.

Foliage

What about foliage? This is where there is still conversation if not controversy. Research we respect shows well-maintained and hydrated native plants are slower to ignite than other plants. Compelling research on the interaction between foliage and structures indicates plant moisture may increase the vulnerability of too-proximate structures.

Here, we’ll leave you to do your research and math – let us know where you land.

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