Berkeley could soon ban plants, wooden fences 5 feet from homes to prevent wildfires
BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- Taking a drive up to Tilden Regional Park on the Eastern most edge of Berkeley, it's hard to find a home that isn't surrounded by lush grass, bushes, flowers and trees.
But it's landscaping like this that some neighbors might soon have to rip out.
"The real concern we have from a fire perspective is if a fire starts in a park, and these sort of hot embers start flying from the park into the city, how do we stop structures from catching on fire?" Brent Blackaby, a Berkeley city councilmember said.
Next week, the Berkeley City Council will hear a proposal to ban most plants, within five feet of homes, in neighborhoods that are most at risk of an ember storm in a fire.
The idea is to create a required buffer of defensible space around homes where nothing is flammable, to prevent embers from spreading wildfires.
Councilmember Blackaby's home is one of about a thousand that falls within this proposed zone near Tilden Regional Park.
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"I've got work to do," he said.
Blackaby says the deadly fires in Los Angeles County earlier this year served as a wake-up call to the city of Berkeley.
"It became real again to all of us, that this isn't just something that happens in rural communities, this happens in urban communities, this can happen in our community and so I think it just accelerated the urgency in the recognition that we can't not act," he said.
But it's not just about plants. The ban also applies to wooden fences, play sets, trash and recycle bins. Trees would also have to be removed from the 5-foot zone, unless they are taller than the house.
"We know this is a big ask but we wouldn't be making this ask if we didn't know that the threat was real," he said. "We just can't wait and hope and cross our fingers that something bad won't happen, we have to prepare for it."
On Friday, we went out to a neighborhood to talk to residents.
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While some told us they were upset the rules wouldn't apply to everyone in the city, others say they understand.
"I do think that when the fires have occurred over and over again in our state, north and south and everywhere else - yeah I think we just need to remove as much tinder as we can," said Ed Feldman.
Regulations like this one could soon be coming to homes across the state.
Other cities around the Bay Area have already adopted rules similar to what Berkeley's city council is considering.
State lawmakers, too, have passed laws that would also require five feet of defensible space around most homes in California.
Officials are still trying to work out how those laws would be implemented on a statewide scale, but California Fire Marshall Daniel Berlant says they are coming.
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"There are certain plants that are more flammable than others, but the reality is even well manicured and well watered plants at the right temperature are going to burn. And once they catch on fire, they can spread to the home," Berlant said.
The fire marshal says he recognizes that creating that extra amount of defensible space can take a lot of time and money. But given the changing environment we live in, he believes we don't have much of a choice.
"It's going to be a difficult shift. We love our plants and our landscaping in front of our homes, but we have to adapt to the wildfire conditions we've been experiencing," Berlant said.
Berlant also says many insurance companies around the state are now requiring homeowners to follow similar defensible space rules.
City council will consider this ban at their next meeting on Tuesday, April 15.
