Pima County updates wildfire mitigation: education, invasives, and a Community Wildfire Protection Plan coming for comment

Pima County staff and University of Arizona Cooperative Extension briefed the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 20 about expanding wildfire education and fuels-reduction work across the county. The two presentations described education, invasive-species removal, and next steps for community planning.

Jen Parlin, interim director of Cooperative Extension, summarized 2024 extension programming and emphasized the unit's role in wildfire education: Master Gardener trainings, Smartscape professional classes, the Garden Kitchen nutrition program and a new wildfire-focused "train the trainer" course that reached 110 Master Gardeners to promote defensible-space principles.

Senior advisor Marie Vasquez presented a midyear update on the county’s wildfire mitigation plan, reporting that the 45 tasks in the plan have progressed from discovery into planning, execution or monitoring. Vasquez noted cross-jurisdictional invasive-species treatments of more than 12,000 acres since July and volunteer contributions of more than 700 hours. She also said the county is mapping evacuation zones, scheduling leadership training for wildfire coordinators, and drafting the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), planned for public comment.

Vasquez said the plan prioritizes defensible-space outreach (Zone 0, the first five feet around homes) and bilingual messaging to broaden reach. She and Cooperative Extension staff emphasized coordination with fire districts, HOAs and regional partners—Firewise programs and local restoration groups were cited as active collaborators.

Next steps include hiring a wildfire outreach coordinator in Cooperative Extension to manage relationships with fire districts and community groups, completing the CWPP public-comment draft, and continuing invasive-species mitigation events and roll-off container programs to help residents dispose of vegetation removed for defensible space.