On Tuesday, the Carlsbad City Council received the first phase of the city’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan and approved using that information to develop a comprehensive Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

• The City Council authorized the development of a Wildfire Mitigation Plan last year as part of a series of additional actions to proactively protect the community from wildfire.
• The Wildfire Mitigation Plan is designed to guide city efforts to better protect life and property and help ensure that the city’s wildfire safety efforts align with applicable state and federal requirements along with local environmental regulations.
• The plan identifies a range of mitigation options, including vegetation management strategies, and outlines the process necessary to meet applicable environmental compliance requirements as those measures are evaluated and implemented.

On top of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan, the city is also currently mitigating wildfire risk. In 2025, the City Council approved more than $1.4 million in one-time funding for wildfire mitigation efforts, including brush management and fuel reduction in our city’s preserves and in city-owned urban forests such as Hosp Grove, as well as vegetation management and invasive species removal. The funding last year also included the development of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan.

Wildfire Mitigation Plan Phase 1 findings
On Tuesday, city staff presented the findings from the initial phase of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan.

Staff reported that wildfire risk in Carlsbad is increasing due to a combination of factors, including expanded State of California Fire Hazard Severity Zones, vegetation growth in open space areas and the potential for wind-driven wildfire behavior. The assessment also confirmed that wildfire risk is not limited to homes located immediately adjacent to open space and, in some cases, can extend farther into the community through interconnected open space corridors.

The report identified three key findings:

1. Like much of California, Carlsbad faces wildfire risk and exposure
2. Additional vegetation management and defensible space improvements are needed
3. Environmental and regulatory considerations must be carefully balanced as future mitigation projects are evaluated.

Next step: The Community Wildfire Protection Plan
The city will now use the information from Phase 1 of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan to develop Phase 2, the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Doing so will bring together fire professionals, environmental experts, planners, legal advisors, regulatory agencies, land managers, and community stakeholders to identify practical and achievable solutions.

The goal is to develop strategies that improve defensible space, reduce wildfire risk, and strengthen community resilience while maintaining compliance with environmental requirements and preserving the natural resources that are important to our community.

The Community Wildfire Protection Plan will provide a community-informed framework for prioritizing mitigation efforts, aligning stakeholders and developing an actionable implementation strategy that integrates technical analysis with public input. Developing the plan is expected to take 9 to 12 months.

While that work moves forward, the city will continue the wildfire risk reduction measures already underway, including annual hazard reduction activities, brush clearance on city-owned properties, courtesy defensible space inspections, Firewise USA support, community education and preparedness outreach, and the use of ALERTCalifornia wildfire cameras during emergencies.

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