Catastrophic urban fires, when homes burn, are invariably the result of wind-driven weather events, as was the case in the Palisades and Eaton fires where floating embers ignited homes. By their nature, homes are incredibly dry and prone to fire; when a residential community ignites, the main fuel becomes the homes themselves. And homes burning, in turn, spawn far more embers.

Trees and flora, on the other hand, hold varying degrees of moisture. With some exceptions, vegetation is not quick to catch fire and can be our allies during fire events, especially well-maintained, irrigated native species. Fire ecologists, who study urban fires, tell us that trees can provide benefits during wind-driven fires by both sheltering homes from wind and by literally catching/snuffing out embers.

Few press articles have covered the science of fires, which in some regards is not instinctive or intuitive to the public’s well-intentioned thinking. Unfortunately, since the January fires there has been an over-reaction involving indiscriminate tree and shrub trimming and removal. When trees and shrubs are gone, the level of biodiversity diminishes and may actually open up residential areas for embers to fly unrestricted. Trees and shrubs are not the enemy!

“Fire hardening” homes to make them less ignitable, has taken back seat to the focus on vegetation restrictions. We believe that the most important items on a residential checklist is to retrofit vents to a mesh size of 1/8 inch or install fire resistant vents. Either insulated or double-glazed glass windows are important, although a more expensive upgrade. Swapping out nearby wooden fences or decks and adding leaf guards to gutters are low-hanging fruit, as well.

“Zone 0” Looms

At time of this writing, a controversial statewide measure known as Zone 0 will likely be implemented by “emergency rule” on December 31, 2025, even though the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection has not finalized the rules. Zone 0 will apply to homes in designated VHFHSZ (Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone) areas. As proposed, Zone 0 would require a void of five feet adjacent to homes in the highest fire risk area, including vegetation. The intention is to reduce embers igniting anything within that five feet zone.

Many have challenged the assumption that all vegetation near homes is a significant cause of structure loss in wildfires, backing their claims with science and suggesting the exact opposite is the reality. Such a dramatic regulation would mean mass landscaping loss that would create heat sinks around homes and higher air-conditioning expense. There would be a reduction of shade, aesthetics, privacy, and wildlife! There are also inequities in how it would adversely affect denser neighborhoods, as well as considering that some may not be able to afford it!

As this sweeping regulation is imposed without finalized rules, many believe the insurance industry is being handed the reins to be ultimate regulators, leveraged with pricing powers.

Many may already know of this fire-protection controversy, but if you don’t, we suggest watching fire-related webinars on YouTube with respected experts such as Dr. Jon Keely, Dr. Alexandra Syphard and Dr. Travis Longcore.

Council Motion Introduced by Councilmembers Raman and Yaroslavsky

The January 14, 2025 Council Motion directed City departments to report on existing and new protocols the City has or should implement in response to serious fire weather conditions. Eight months later, the Interdepartmental Report was released. With few new measures proposed, it was a disappointment.

Friends of Griffith Park provided input to the same Council File (25-0006-S35), with a letter focused on Griffith Park. After all, alleviating ignitions and hazards within the Park should be the primary focus in order to reduce risk to nearby neighborhoods. This is especially true during high-risk weather.

Here are the points we stressed to reduce fires igniting in the Park:

Park Closures

At a minimum, a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) should automatically trigger the closure of Griffith Park well in advance of the expected weather event. If metrics can be identified and justified somewhere between Red Flag Alert (LAFD) and PDS (NWS), FoGP would likely support a proactive Park closure protocol based upon them. This way, no longer would there be the need for “closure determination” to be discussed. It would be mandatory.

While City code allows emergency City Park closures by RAP General Manager, Assistant General Managers, and Park Rangers, the public became extremely alarmed that the Park remained open long after the ignition of the Palisades Fire. With the addition of specific benchmarks for closures, the public will know what to expect.

Getting the word out is critical when closing Griffith Park, due to its size and porosity. Hikers and visitors simply did not know the Park was officially closed on January 8. Besides social media, emails and signs, FoGP has suggested contingency planning and use of emergency staffing at entry points, pulling from employees assigned to other duties.

No Smoking Policy – No Exception!

After careful reflection, FoGP recommends a complete ban on smoking in the entirety of Griffith Park. Even where there is currently good compliance, the variable policies cause confusion. Some “designated smoking areas” are not effectively enforced.

Shockingly, the Griffith Park Film Office policy allows film crews to smoke within “areas that are designated by the Fire Safety Officer or Park Film Monitor” when either is present. In practice, there is a well-evidenced compliance concern, even at high-risk interior areas, such as Mt. Hollywood Drive where there are frequent filming shoots.

Golfers are regularly seen exiting the Wilson-Harding Clubhouse area and returning to the parking lots – surrounded by dense habitat – with cigarettes in hand.

The LA Zoo’s policy allows smoking only within its parking lot and not inside the Zoo gates. Smokers are advised to receive hand stamps to smoke in the parking lot and re-enter without paying!

We fully support a simple one-rule policy for Griffith Park: no smoking anywhere in Griffith Park. Period.

BBQ Grills

A Red Flag Alert (LAFD) should trigger a halt in the use of all BBQ grills and any device with flames. While many park-style grills are available with a cover and locking feature, few are installed in Griffith Park. A transition to locking grills or a means to disable use of grills, along with effectively deploying “no grilling” signage on every grill, should be evaluated and implemented.

Invasives

Management of the spread of invasive species in Griffith Park should become a priority issue and receive considerable City funding, not only as it pertains to fire risk, but also as its threat to ecological balance and biodiversity. Invasives are introduced where humans have disturbed soils. And non-native, dry, weedy, flora only increases fire risks.

Eucalyptus trees, planted by us, elevate fire hazard and are detrimental to the native understory. Eucalyptus trees not providing shading benefits for the public should be considered for removal. One area to be considered is a remote location is Condor Canyon, where these trees added to the intensity of a 63-acre fire in 2018.

Some slopes along roads and trails have degraded with invasive fountain grass, pushing out buckwheat, Brickell bush, and other more fire-resistant natives. Invasive fountain grass is not only highly flammable, it allow fires to travel rapidly across long stretches.

Currently, there is no programming by the Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) to control the spread of invasives. Past programs were fairly successful, but efforts were gradually reduced over time and completely ceased six years ago. FoGP supports a small Wednesday morning “Weed Warriors” crew which manually attacks castor bean and tree tobacco, but even for those nasties, we only scratch the surface.

Brush Clearance Protocols

Annual brush clearance at 200 ft. from structures is mandated by LAFD. There seems to be good adherence to this policy by RAP, and there is no evidence that would suggest a greater distance or a more complete clearance of trees/shrubs enhances the level of protection.

Clearance along trails and fire roads encourages invasive grasses and mustard, both more volatile than natives. Park fire incident mapping reveals a much higher ignition frequency where cars travel, versus hiking and equestrian trails. When do you ever see a hiker smoking on a trail? A nuanced approach to selective brush clearance along trails and fire roads should be considered that spares high-value native flora, rather than encouraging non-native grasses to replace them.

Involve Experts

Our final Council File comment requested City Departments work in concert with experts whose work validates best management practices for fire protection based upon data and studies specific to Southern California fires. FoGP’s goal is to keep the communities surrounding Griffith Park safe, as well as assure the ecological sustainability of Griffith Park for all to enjoy.

Going Forward

Implementing protocols to reduce ignition risks in Griffith Park, and more generally to reduce fire risks for residents of Los Angeles, is overdue. Various ways of reducing fire risk presented in this article have been sitting on the shelf for many months since January’s fires, along with plenty from others. Now is the time.

Griffith Park Fire Data

City Park Rangers have kept data for all City Park fires since mid-2016. FoGP has extracted the data for Griffith Park and learned that from 2016 to 2024, there were 128 “significant fires” in the Park, an average of over 14.2 fires per year.
A total of 212 acres burned, which is an average of 23.6 acres yearly. The average acreage is skewed, though, by three sizable fires, 80, 63, and 20 acres. (Significant Fire” criteria was minimum 0.25 acres for years 2016-2021; and minimum 0.125 acres for years 2022-2024)
Most fires are small and, as first responders, Park Rangers manage to minimize their impact on Griffith Park. (2018: 63 acres and 20 acres; 2019: 80 acres )