Malibu Canyon's Palm Trees Are Coming Down

Fire staff believe embers from the palms may have burned structures in the Franklin Fire.

August 11, 2026 · Malibu

A stand of palm trees in Malibu Canyon that city fire staff have flagged for years as a severe hazard is finally slated for removal, possibly as soon as September.

City fire safety staff told the [Public Safety Commission last week](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc343BkPW9Y) that a grant application is in for removing the palms, with buy-in from the state and the school district that owns the property.

The plan is to take out the fronds and cut the trunks into sections left on site, minimizing soil disturbance in the canyon.

The trees, on the east side of the canyon near HRL Laboratories, have been a long-running sore point. One commissioner said he'd written the governor's office and multiple state legislators about them, to no effect. He also said a member of the city's fire team believed embers from the palms may have traveled and burned structures in the [Franklin Fire](https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/malibu-franklin-fire), which damaged or destroyed 48 structures in December 2024.

"We have a severely hazardous condition right on the outside of the core city here that we are unable to address," the commissioner said. "It seems impossible to me."

Staff cautioned they're still waiting to hear back on the grant application. The removal is supposed to happen this fall.