The collaborative process for developing the Tusayan Community Wildfire Protection Plan began May 5, 2004 at a Tusayan/Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce Board meeting in Tusayan. A CWPP is developed to assist local fire districts, local governmental agencies and residents in the identification of lands—including federal lands—at risk from severe wildfire threat and to identify strategies for reducing fuels on wildlands while improving forest health, supporting local economies, and improving firefighting response capabilities.

As the principal gateway to the Grand Canyon, the community of Tusayan plays an important role in the provision of goods, services, and information to tourists and visitors. The study area extends three miles north to the Grand Canyon National Park boundary, and four miles south of the existing community and five miles on either side of Highway 64. The plan has no established time period. The last Tusayan plan, the South Grand Canyon Specific Area Study, was adopted by the Board in 1978. Ideally, this plan will be updated and amended regularly.