In Pacific County, the policies that enforce tree height restrictions through topping are not protecting our homes from fire—they are making the danger worse. Topping trees, a practice where the upper portion of a tree is cut back to enforce height limits, leaves behind weakened, unhealthy trees that are far more likely to become fuel in a wildfire. Instead of preserving natural fire protection, these rules strip our community of its living shield and replace it with brittle ignition sources waiting for a spark.

Healthy Trees Are Natural Firebreaks

Living trees are full of moisture. Their green needles and leaves act as barriers to embers and slow the spread of flames. When appropriately managed, healthy trees actually reduce fire risk by shading the ground, lowering temperatures, and limiting the growth of flammable brush beneath them. A strong, thriving tree canopy filters the air, holds soil in place, and provides natural windbreaks that reduce how quickly embers can spread.

But when those same trees are topped, their natural defenses vanish. Large wounds open the tree to disease and decay. Branches grow back weaker and more flammable. In time, many topped trees simply die. Instead of standing as fire-resistant guardians, they become dry tinder—an easy source of ignition during a wildfire.

Topping Turns Safety Into Risk

Supporters of tree height restrictions often claim that their views are more important and enforcing tree height restructions to increase their property values.

In reality, topping produces the risk of fires and total loss for homeowners. Dead and dying trees left behind by topping policies pose a greater risk than healthy, living ones. Each brittle branch is a ember trap, and each pile of cut debris is a ready-made ignition bed.

With increased fire risk comes increased insurance premiums.

What the Experts Say; Followthe science

CAL FIRE and the U.S. Forest Service caution against topping, urging property owners to focus instead on pruning, canopy spacing, and fuel management. The NFPA Firewise USA® program is equally direct:

“Avoid topping trees — it stresses the plant and can create more hazardous fuel in the long term.”

These recommendations are grounded in decades of wildfire research and real-world observations from fire events in California and beyond. But topping healthy trees leads to trees that die and pose a fire threat. Then why does Pacific County allow the practice of tree height restrictions, knowing that it leads to many trees that become unhealthy and potential fire threats?

G.M. Moore is a Senior Research Associate of Burnley College, University of Melbourne, where he was Principal from 1988 to 2007; he has  published over 165 scientific papers and articles:

From his paper

Wildfire and the Role
of the Arborist

Canopies can act as spark or ember arresters and so reduce the
spread of fire on properties and the fire risk to buildings through
ember egress.

Depending on tree density,trees can reduce wind speeds,slowing
the rate of fire spread and allowing the possibility of better fire
control.

Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 36.70A.172 – Critical areas—Designation and protection.

(1) In designating and protecting critical areas under this chapter, counties and cities shall include the best available science in developing policies and development regulations to protect the functions and values of critical areas.

So why are we turning healthy trees in critical areas that can slow fires and intercept embers into dead trees. Why is Pacific county nit following the science.

What makes this especially concerning is the hypocrisy of promoting Firewise protections while enforcing rules that create new fire hazards. Firewise principles emphasize defensible space, removing dead vegetation, and maintaining healthy landscapes. Yet Pacific County’s CARl exceptions to allow Surfside to enforce tree height restrictions generate dead material by the truckload. Even if debris piles are eventually hauled away, the tree damage is permanent, leaving a weakened tree canopy more prone to fire.

Healthy trees are vital for fire safety and stormwater management, as their roots absorb excess rainfall and reduce flooding. Their canopies slow down runoff, preventing erosion and filtering out pollutants before they reach waterways. In doing so, trees capture harmful contaminants such as microplastics and heavy metals, protecting human health and marine ecosystems.

Protecting Views, Endangering Homes

At its core, enforcing tree height restrictions is clearly not about fire safety—it’s about views. Since 2020, tree height enforcement has led to the topping of trees, leading to a significant fire hazard throughout Surside. Policies prioritizing open sightlines over healthy forests ignore the risks we face. Community fires are not stopped by a cleared horizon; they are slowed by living, resilient landscapes and a healthy canopy. By valuing views over trees, we are sacrificing long-term safety for short-term aesthetics, and the cost could be catastrophic.

A Call to Action

Pacific County has a choice: continue down the path of enforcing harmful topping policies or recognize that healthy trees are allies, not enemies. Communities across the West are learning that living trees, when properly cared for, provide  defenses against wildfire and help prevent flooding. They absorb heat, catch embers, and buy precious time for firefighters.

Their cooling effect keeps vegetation like grasses from drying out and maintains cool waterways that prevent toxic algae blooms—something dead, topped trees with unhealthy canopies do not.

It is time for county leaders and residents to stand together and demand change. Stop topping. Stop creating ignition sources. Stop destroying our tree canopy. Protect the living firebreaks that stand between us and disaster. Our safety depends on it.

---