Regional participation trends for community wildfire preparedness program Firewise USA

Abstract Community-wide wildfire mitigation can effectively protect homes from structure ignition. The Firewise USA program provides a framework for grassroots preparedness. Here, we examine the 500 sites in California to understand participation and demographic trends. We find important regional differences regarding influence of underlying fire hazard, history, other on new site formation. Sites Bay Area Sierras respond strongly history proximity sites, while Northern Southern have few despite hazardous conditions large history. are often whiter, older, more well-educated than California’s median population, potentially leaving out many communities that do not meet this profile but face severe risks wildfires. These findings offer insights into factors motivating pursue protection, particularly given recent destructive seasons.