Should Boulder allow small gardens in wildfire buffer zones? Councilmembers wrestle over how

Should Boulder allow small gardens in wildfire buffer zones? Councilmembers wrestle over how

City officials have recommended against allowing raised garden beds or other vegetation within the recently mandated five-foot noncombustible zone around new buildings in Boulder’s wildland-urban interface. The buffer zone is a key part of the city’s new wildfire safety rules, designed to reduce the risk of flames spreading from house to house in fire-prone areas. But some councilmembers have raised equity concerns about the rules. Residents in …