BRUSH CLEARANCE AND MAINTAINING DEFENSIBLE SPACE
Here are some answers to frequently asked homeowners questions regarding best practices to make their homes safer.

What is meant by defensible space and is more space better?
Defensible space refers to that area between a house and an oncoming wildfire where the vegetation has been modified to reduce the wildfire threat and which provides an opportunity for fire fighters to defend the house.

California state law requires 100 feet of clearance around a home - LAFD requires 200 feet of clearance. Through proper management of this defensible space, research has shown that property has a better chance of surviving a wildfire and the lives of firefighters can be saved.

Many people think more space is better but recent scientific research seems to indicate that distances larger than 100 feet do not provide additional protection. Embers can travel as far as five miles ahead of the active front of a wildfire and land on flammable roofs or in other flammable objects – as a result, the emphasis is now on home hardening and effective treatment closer to structures.

What is the most effective way to make my home fire-safe?

Current scientific research indicates that the most effective way to keep homes from igniting during wildfires is to incorporate firesafe features for homes (e.g., roof materials, vent screens) and the immediate zone right around them.
Many homes with defensible space have burned to the ground because embers entered through attic vents, ignited flammable materials around the home, or found their way under roofing materials.

Make sure to remove leaf litter from your roof and gutters, and keep flammable things like firewood piles, propane tanks, and wood fencing away from your house.

To reduce the flammability of your house as much as possible:
 Install ember resistant vents,
Install Class A roofing,
Install exterior sprinklers operated by an independent system,
Prune vegetation so it does not overhang or touch the house,
Keep trees and plants hydrated, and
Remove flammable materials 16 to 100 feet from around the structure.

When is the best time of year to create my defensible space?

Although brush clearance notices are sent out by LAFD only once a year in late March, defensible space should be maintained year-round. October to December, when trees are dormant, is typically the most horticulturally sound time of the year to prune trees.
Pruning and clearing defensible space during this time of the year also helps protect our bird population by avoiding the most active nesting season during the months of March through August. (Spring and summer should be used to focus on selective pruning vegetation and to remove vegetation that is overhanging the house.) 
There are laws that protect almost all nests and all work that is located near an active nest should come to a halt if a nest is found. The Santa Monica Mountains are home to a lot of local and migratory birds so consider hiring a qualified biologist to perform a nest survey of the area before beginning work or learn how to perform your own nest survey at treecareforbirds.com.

I’m concerned I won’t comply– should I just clear my entire hillside?

NEVER clear an entire hillside. Trim hillside shrubs and plants minimally and only as required (read LAFD instructions carefully).  A denuded slope can create a dangerous situation by destabilizing the hillside.  
Clearing can cause significant damage to plant growth tissues, destroy native plants and harm wildlife. If you hire an outside crew to do the work for you, hire a crew that is experienced, understands the rules, and won’t destroy critical habitat.

Should I trim my trees while I do my brush clearance?

Crews who specialize in brush clearance know very little about pruning, horticulture, or arboriculture. They are not typically familiar with laws about nesting birds or with the city’s protected tree ordinance.

Unfortunately it is common for protected (and rare) California Walnut trees to be cut down because they are mistaken for dead when they are dormant. Any work performed on one of the City’s 6 protected tree species should be by a crew with a certified arborist. Furthermore, if you are conducting brush clearance in April or May, bear in mind that this is nesting season for birds and not the optimal time to prune trees.

Remember to maintain the health of your trees throughout the year and keep them well hydrated; trees help keep the surface cool when their canopy is green. Native trees like Oaks are fire-resilient, and research has found that healthy Oak stands can slow fire in forested lands.

SOURCES:
Most of the information for this article was obtained from Treeology at http://treeology.org/
For more information about fire-safe communities, visit https://defensiblespace.org/
 
For a complete list of LAFD brush clearance requirements, visit https://www.lafd.org/fire-prevention/brush
For more information about protecting nesting birds visit https://ca.audubon.org

Mindy Rothstein Mann

      NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL HEARING ON MISSION CANYON PARK
                         RESULTS IN TRAFFIC SAFETY CONCERNS


The Bel Air-Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council has sent a response letter to the Mountain and Recreation Conservancy regarding the proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration and the new plan for Mission Canyon Park, a proposed park by the County of Los Angeles to be located on publicly owned land on the west side of the Sepulveda pass.

The 500 acre site was used as a landfill dump. The landfills have been closed for 50 years and over the years various commercial development schemes have been proposed.
 
Mission Canyon Park will be located on the west side of the Sepulveda Pass just north of Mountaingate Drive and south of  Skirball Center Drive. The Department of Sanitation will continue its maintenance of the landfill sites within the park.

In 2014 the Mountains and Recreation Conservation (MRCA) became a partner agency with the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy. The MRCA is now the Lead Agency and has designed the park, which will include an on-site residence for an MRCA ranger and a parking lot for visitors.

One driveway on Sepulveda Boulevard serves as both the entrance and the exit for the park. While your Neighborhood Council expressed support for the park, it pointed out its concerns about safe access to and from the park.

The BABCNC letter noted that “When the 405 freeway is blocked, Sepulveda is a secondary highway. While we would have preferred to have cars exiting from the freeway proceed forward over a short bridge and into the park, neither LADOT nor Cal Trans would have approved that route because of a problem with freeway ramps.” 
 
“We understand that the intersection of Mountaingate Drive and Sepulveda Boulevard has been the scene of many accidents, even though there is a separate signal light for Mountaingate and another for Sepulveda."

“There is a dedicated northbound left turn lane with an arrow on the signal light for entering Mountaingate.
There will be a northbound, short, left turn lane just after Mountaingate to enable vehicles to turn into the park’s entrance. If that short lane is full and other vehicles are waiting, could they block lanes entering or leaving Mountaingate?”