In 2025, Marin County’s Firewise communities continued to expand their impact, demonstrating the strength of resident-led wildfire risk reduction. Reported data shows clear gains in participation, fuels removed, and community investment, reflecting a growing commitment to wildfire preparedness across the county.
Participation and Activity Growth
In total, Firewise communities reported 1,919 Chipper Day pickups, 107,580 cubic yards of fuels removed, and 367,050 volunteer hours in 2025, representing an estimated $19,530,225 in community investment.
Compared with 2024 data, Marin’s Firewise program recorded:
- 19% increase in participation: More residents engaging in chipper days, pile burning, and neighborhood planning
- 14% increase in fuels removed: Reflecting expanded vegetation management
- 38% increase in volunteer investment dollars: Signaling deeper financial commitment
- 18% increase in volunteer hours: Highlighting growing hands-on involvement
Leading Firewise Communities
Several neighborhoods stood out for their level of activity and investment, showing that meaningful wildfire risk reduction is achievable across neighborhoods of all sizes. Tam Valley led in pickups and volunteer hours. Black Point and Green Point reported the most fuels removed and the highest total investment. Muir Beach / Green Gulch and Paradise Ranch Estates ranked among the top communities for both hours and dollars invested.
Long-Term Growth Since 2017
The sustained growth of Marin’s Firewise program reflects long-term resident engagement and a durable foundation for wildfire resilience. Cumulatively over the past eight years, the program has:
- Grown to 90 active Firewise sites in 2025, up from only 9 in 2017
- Surpassed $85.9 million in cumulative community investment
- Removed over 857,000 cubic yards of vegetation
- Contributed over 1.28 million volunteer hours
Countywide Reach
Today, almost one third of Marin residents live in a Firewise-designated community, extending wildfire-preparedness practices across a significant portion of the county.
Firewise communities are moving beyond one-time projects toward sustained, long-term preparedness. By reducing fuels, strengthening defensible space, and building shared responsibility at the neighborhood level, residents are helping Marin better prepare for increasingly intense wildfire seasons. Continued support for Firewise programs through education, volunteer engagement, and funding, will be essential to maintaining and expanding this progress.
Impact of Firewise communities
Based on defensible space inspection data, residents that live in Firewise communities are 29% more likely to open and review their Wildfire Risk Report than residents that don’t live in Firewise communities. This translates into those Firewise residents taking action to fix defensible space vulnerabilities that were identified in their inspection reports. When compared to non-Firewise communities, the data shows that Firewise communities:
- Fix 3.5-times more defensible space vulnerabilities per parcel
- Resolve 3.8-times more high priority vulnerabilities per parcel
How to Join or Start a Firewise Site
To find out if your home is in a Firewise neighborhood, visit our online Firewise resource hub. If your area is not yet a site, you can start one by emailing Firewise Marin. The process involves gathering a few neighbors to form a Firewise board, then applying to Firewise USA to join the nation’s leading wildfire preparedness network.
