Can culling your garden slow a wildfire? A California city pins its hopes on a contested plan

Berkeley is adopting the ‘Zone 0’ regulation, which mandates first 5ft around the home in high-risk areas should be clear of combustible material Michel Thouati went through the five stages of grief before he ripped his beloved fig tree from the earth. There was a persimmon and an elderberry too, nestled close to his hillside home in Berkeley,California, and they all had to go. The plants thriving on his small property had become overshadowed by the dangers growing with them: an emerging body...

By Gabrielle Canon in Berkeley, California