As part of the City of Malibu’s ongoing efforts to be prepared for and help residents be prepared for wildfires, the City is launching an innovative, grant-funded, free fire hazard tree removal and chipper program to help residents prepare for wildfires.
“Brush clearance and removing hazard trees are important ways to create defensible space to make your home more fire resistant, help firefighters stay safe while defending your home, and protect the whole community from wildfires,” said Mayor Paul Grisanti. “Here in Malibu, the next big wildfire is just around the corner, not just in peak wildfire season. So it’s up to us all as individuals and as a community to do everything possible to be ready.”
Both services are funded by a $324,000 Wildfire Resiliency grant the City recently received from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. The goal of this grant is to decrease fire hazards and fuel loading within the City of Malibu and to help homeowners increase and/or maintain their brush clearance as required by The Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Homeowners will be able to take advantage of these services to expand their defensible space prior to peak fire season and the arrival of the dangerous Santa Ana winds.
Residents with dead and dying hazard trees can sign up to have those trees removed for free later this summer. A licensed arborist will work with Public Safety staff and homeowners to identify and assess trees that pose a fire hazard, map them out, and schedule them for removal.
In addition, the City will be hold Community Chipper and Green Waste Days in September to provide residents an opportunity to dispose of large amounts of fire-hazardous vegetation, including dead vegetation from brush clearance that was required to be complete by June 1. Sign-ups, schedules and all other information about both services will be posted at www.MalibuCity.org/FireSafety as soon as it is available.
For more information, call Fire Safety Liaison Chris Brossard at 310-456-2489, ext. 387 or email FireSafety@MalibuCity.org.
Learn more about the City’s wildfire preparedness efforts at www.MalibuCity.org/FireSafety.
Submitted by Matt Myerhoff, Media Information Officer