Defensible Space Clearing
Dead brush, ladder fuels, weeds and dry grass cleared from the 100 feet around a home. The trees stay standing and the brush stays on the ground as mulch.
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Aromas sits in the hills where Monterey County meets San Benito County. Many parcels mix oak woodland with annual grass on the slopes, and that grass dries out by early summer. Brush creeps in along long private roads, driveways and fence lines. Maybe a letter came from your insurance company, or you want the brush gone before fire season.
Based in Seaside on the Monterey Peninsula, Cruz Land Management comes up Highway 1 to work in Aromas. Defensible space clearing around the house comes first, then brush clearing along roads and fence lines. We also handle weed abatement and cut fire breaks along property lines. The masticating head on our compact track loader grinds brush, saplings and small trees into mulch where they stand. Call or text (831) 200-5377, and we will get back to you.
Tell us about the brush, the lot or the letter you got. We look at the property and put the quote in writing.
Aromas is an unincorporated community on the line between Monterey County and San Benito County. The Census place straddles that line, with Monterey County to the west and San Benito County to the east. The 2020 Census counted 2,708 people, split almost evenly between the two counties. The Santa Cruz County line is less than a mile to the northwest.
The center of town sits on the south side of the Pajaro River valley. Just northeast of town, the river cuts through Pajaro Gap, also called Chittenden Pass. That gap sits at the south end of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The town was first called Sand Cut, after a Southern Pacific railroad tunnel built nearby in 1871.
Monterey County's wildfire plan ranks communities by their need for fuel reduction work. It rates Aromas High for fuel hazard and High for overall priority. Around a home, defensible space work goes after the dry grass and the brush under and between the trees. Mastication grinds the brush down, the brush mower cuts the open grass, and the oaks stay standing.
The Aromas Tri-County Fire Protection District covers nearly 60 square miles across parts of three counties. Those are Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties. The district's history dates back to October 31, 1963, when it was declared a fire district. Its fire station sits on Carpenteria Road in Aromas.
The district contracts with CAL FIRE for personnel and administration. That contract dates from 1993. The district describes High and Very High fire hazard severity throughout most of its area.
California's defensible space law, Public Resources Code 4291, covers buildings in the State Responsibility Area. It asks for 100 feet of defensible space, but not past the property line. The district's permits page links a state viewer that shows whether a parcel is State or Local Responsibility Area.
The district runs a residential chipping program, supported by the Rancho Aromitas Firewise Community. Owners drop off branches and brush at the fire station the first weekend of every month, March to November 2026. The program takes material under 4 inches across, and it does not take poison oak. Aromas also has a Firewise USA site called Spanish Bit, approved in May 2024.
It depends on your side of the county line. The district's permits page sends San Benito and Monterey County residents to CAL FIRE for residential burn permits. Santa Cruz County residents inside the district go to the Monterey Bay Air Resources District instead. The district says CAL FIRE's residential permits run on a yearly cycle, May 1 to April 30.
Agriculture burns must be inspected by CAL FIRE before burning until the end of peak fire season, the district says. The district's page lists the rules for burn piles. Our Monterey County burn permit guide covers burn seasons and permits in more detail.
Mastication leaves no burn pile. Brush, saplings and small trees are ground into mulch where they stand. The mulch stays on the ground as cover. Poison oak gets the masticating head, never the mower.
On a parcel with pasture or road frontage, brush mowing cuts tall grass, weeds and light brush. The rotary brush mower runs on the compact track loader. Where the growth has turned to saplings and woody brush, the masticating head takes over.
Fire breaks along property lines, ridges and private roads can slow a fire and give crews a place to work. In each strip we masticate the brush or mow the grass, then come back each season to keep it open. The county's wildfire plan lists roadside fuel reduction among its Aromas projects.
From Seaside, we come up Highway 1 and take Highway 156 to US 101 north. We leave the freeway at San Juan Road and follow Carpenteria Road into Aromas. The drive is about 28 miles. US 101 runs along the southeastern edge of town.
Communities and areas we serve around Aromas: Downtown Aromas, Carpenteria Road, Blohm Avenue, San Juan Road, Rancho Aromitas, Spanish Bit, Pajaro River, Pajaro Gap, Chittenden Pass, Aromas Elementary School.
Aromas ZIP codes served: 95004.
We come over from Seaside, look at the property and put the quote in writing.
(831) 200-5377 Dead brush, ladder fuels, weeds and dry grass cleared from the 100 feet around a home. The trees stay standing and the brush stays on the ground as mulch.
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We clear overgrown brush and poison oak off hillsides and fence lines. The masticating head grinds it into mulch where it stands, and the trees stay.
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We cut the dry grass and weeds on vacant lots, parcels, roadsides and lot lines before fire season. Send us a photo of your notice, and we put the quote in writing.
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We open up overgrown acreage, hillsides, ranch parcels and building sites with the masticating head and the brush mower. Brush and small trees become mulch in place, and the trees you keep stay standing.
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Our masticating head grinds brush and small trees into mulch where they stand. The ground is left under a mulch layer, and the trees you keep stay standing.
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We cut tall grass and light brush with a rotary brush mower on a compact track loader. Fields, pastures, road frontage and large lots get mowed once or every season.
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Fire breaks and fuel breaks cut along property lines, ridges, roads and driveways. Brush is masticated into mulch and grass mowed low, so a fire slows and crews have room to work.
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Vacant lots and ADU sites cleared to open ground. Weeds and grass are mowed, and brush is ground into mulch where it stands.
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We run seasonal vegetation management programs for HOAs, property managers, commercial properties and ranches. Grass is mowed and brush is masticated on a schedule built around notices and fire season.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Aromas. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Tell us where the property is and what needs clearing, and send photos if you have them. Call or text (831) 200-5377, or use the form, and we will get back to you.
Tell us about the brush, the lot or the letter you got. We look at the property and put the quote in writing.