From the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (BOF): “In response to the increased frequency and intensity of wildfires in California over the last decade, the Legislature passed AB 3074 (2020) and SB 504 (2024), making changes to Public Resource Code 4291. These changes require the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board) to establish an ember-resistant defensible zone the first 5 feet around a structure, referred to as Zone 0. Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-18-25 requires that the Board complete rulemaking for Zone 0 no later than December 31, 2025.” This applies to properties in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) or the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone in the Local Responsibility Area (LRA). To date all BOF “Zone 0” Committee meetings have been held in Sacramento.
SFV Audubon fully supports science-based measures to protect structures and life from wildfires and urban conflagrations alike. Key to this is making homes less flammable by using safer roofing materials and ember-resistant venting for example, and ensuring that easily-ignited materials such as connected wood fencing, leaf litter and dead vegetation in “Zone 0” are removed. A major point of contention in drafting California regulations has been whether the presence of live hydrated vegetation, including hedges, ornamental plants, trees and shrubs contributes to fire risk or indeed, may be protective. In Southern California, with our relatively small lot sizes in urban areas, removal of most vegetation within five feet of structures and severe limitations within an additional 30 feet would eliminate large segments of our urban forest and habitat. Further, there is evidence that beyond Zone 0 the presence of lightly hydrated vegetation including chaparral, with flashy fuels strictly controlled, is protective.
Requests for a Southern California “Zone 0” Workshop have finally been heard and addressed. The workshop will take place Thursday September 18. Please save the date, the location and logistical details will be provided when available. This is a crucial development – it was obvious at past Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Zone 0 Committee meetings that many of the voices in the room in Sacramento were insurance company lobbyists and other representatives. At the July 24, 2025 Zone 0 meeting, presentations based on peer-reviewed scientific studies were finally made. The presentations from the July 24 Zone 0 Committee meeting are now posted on this site: https://bof.fire.ca.gov/
Here are links to presentations on the Zone 0 issue as well as protecting your home from wildfire and the role of vegetation:
Dr. Travis Longcore’s presentation “Defensible Space, Zone Zero, and the New Fire Hazard Severity Zones”, Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTAnEsDO7xo
Protecting Your Home (Chaparral Institute) https://www.californiachaparral.org/fire/protecting-your-home/