My Comment Letters for Zone 0

I wrote the these comment, not from an office, but from a garden in the VHFHSZ that has been in my care for over 20 years – half of my adult life. It is a habitat where plants are not simply vertical or horizontal hazards, but neighbors. Where a hedge may offer not only beauty, shade and moisture that actually protects a structure from fire (Escobedo et al, 2025), but a gift for foraging and nesting birds. It also offers the invisible gift of healing.

For individuals living with trauma, chronic stress, or grief, the presence of green life offers a quiet, accessible form of therapy. Shade, movement, birdsong, the act of tending to living things—these elements reduce cortisol levels, regulate the nervous system, and restore a sense of agency and connection.

When you mandate vegetation removal in the name of fire safety, you are not simply clearing “brush”. You are dismantling places of healing—often for people who lack access to mental health resources. Zone 0 policy must also account for the invisible role these spaces play in community wellbeing. A sterile garden or token plants may look safer on paper, but in reality, it may remove the very buffer that keeps a person stable.