Thursday,  July 9, 2026

LiVE IN PERSON - BLINN HOUSE PASADENA

“Plants and protection: how horticulture meets fire risk.”

Dr. Travis Longcore

UCLA Professor, environmental sciencTIST, & urban ecologist

On July 9, the Southern California Horticulture Society will be meeting in person at the Blinn House in Pasadena, where we welcome back UCLA  professor Dr. Travis Longcore as our guest speaker.  He is an environmental scientist and urban ecologist who in 2019 spoke to us about the ecological impacts of landscape lighting. In his latest program: “Plants and Protection: How Horticulture Meets Fire Risk”  he will talkabout the new rules under consideration by the State of California to dramatically limit any vegetation within 5 feet of any structure. 

In this presentation, Dr. Longcore will speak about the challenges these rules would present to Southern California homeowners in high-fire zones, especially if they love their plants and dread the annual defensible space notice. He will explore what science can tell us about the role nearby vegetationplays in fire safety, particularly in the wind-driven fires that are responsible for nearly all structure losses in the coastal region.  Specifically, he will report on the emerging results from studies of the Eaton and Palisades fires, including his research team’s analysis of the role of vegetation within the first 5 feet, aka “Zone Zero”, and its importance relative to structure density and home hardening strategies such as ember-resistant vents. He will then consider these results in the context of the current rule-making and the 2025 adoption of maps by Cal Fire that expand the areas subject to defensible space requirements,

As the Senior Associate Director and an Adjunct Professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and Co-Chair of the Environmental Science and Engineering (D.Env.) Program, Dr. Longcore conducts research on environmental health, focusing on the conservation of biodiversity in cities and beyond, and the application of spatial tools to human health exposures. His research includes the use of big spatial data to assess impacts and evaluate mitigations for exposure to extreme heat, making him uniquely qualified to speak on this very timely, and highly sensitive, issue. 

We invite you to join us in person for this most-relevant talk on Zone Zero landscaping from a renowned expert in urban ecology.  Join us in-person at the Blinn House in Pasadena to attend this program. 

EVENT DETAILS: 

Date: Thursday, July 9, 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pm (PDT)
LIVE in Person - Blinn House Pasadena- 160 N Oakland Ave. Pasadena CA 91101

Meeting opens 7:00 / Plant Forum at 7:15 / Lecture starts 7:30

FREE for members and students with I.D.  /  $5.00 entry fee for non-members

Upcoming Events:

Visit our Past Meetings page to re-watch previously recorded in-person meetings and webinars, download each meeting write-up, and reference any materials provided by our speakers.

SCHS Statement of Solidarity

As a horticultural nonprofit, we stand in solidarity with the agricultural and horticultural workers whose skill and daily labor sustain our gardens, green spaces, and food systems. We honor their expertise and recognize that these workers, like all people in the United States, are protected by constitutional rights that uphold equal protection under the law, freedom of speech and association, and the right to fair and lawful treatment in their workplaces and communities.

We are committed to respecting their contributions to the land and supporting safe, fair, and dignified working conditions. Our work is possible because of theirs.

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