Your insurer just declined to renew coverage on a $50 million asset. Or worse — they'll renew, but at 3x the premium with a wildfire exclusion. Your risk manager is scrambling. Your board wants answers.
You're not alone. The property insurance market in fire-prone regions is contracting faster than anyone predicted. Large assets — data centers, distribution facilities, manufacturing plants, ranches, timberland — are facing non-renewals, exclusions, and premium spikes that make operations economically unviable.
The standard response is to shop for alternative coverage, self-insure, or relocate. All of those are reactive. They treat insurability as something that happens to you.
There is another path: reduce the risk your asset represents by investing in the landscape around it.
why high-value assets face steeper challenges
Residential policies are standardized. Large asset policies are underwritten individually — and underwriters are looking at:
| Factor | What They're Assessing |
|---|---|
| Asset value | Higher value = higher potential loss |
| Concentration | Single-site vs distributed portfolio |
| Business interruption | Revenue loss during downtime |
| Supply chain exposure | Upstream/downstream dependencies |
| Defensibility | Can the asset actually be protected? |
A $200 million distribution center in a WUI zone represents a very different risk profile than a residential property. The insurer's exposure is catastrophic. And unlike homes, large assets often cluster — meaning a single fire event can wipe out multiple policies simultaneously.
the landscape around your asset is your risk
Most risk management focuses on the asset itself: sprinklers, fire-resistant construction, backup systems. These matter. But they don't address the fundamental problem: if a high-intensity fire reaches your facility, the asset is at risk regardless of construction.
What determines whether fire reaches you:
| Factor | Impact |
|---|---|
| Fuel load | Vegetation density within 1-2 miles |
| Fuel continuity | Whether fire can carry across the landscape |
| Topography | Slope, aspect, terrain features |
| Access | Can firefighters actually defend the asset? |
| Community preparedness | Are neighboring properties also treated? |
An asset surrounded by untreated wildland is an asset waiting for a claim. The structure itself is only part of the equation.
landscape-scale investment changes the math
Here's what insurers increasingly want to see:
Defensible perimeter — Not just the 100-foot residential standard. For high-value assets, 300-1,000 foot treatment zones significantly change modeled loss probability.
Fuel breaks and treated corridors — Continuous zones of reduced vegetation that slow fire spread and create defensible lines. Priority treatment along access roads, ridgelines, and prevailing wind corridors.
Cross-boundary coordination — Your property's risk depends on neighboring properties. Insurers know this. Demonstrating regional coordination — with neighbors, local fire agencies, land managers — changes portfolio-level risk assessment.
Ongoing maintenance, not one-time treatment — Vegetation grows back. A fuel treatment done in 2020 may provide no benefit in 2025. Continuous stewardship matters.
documenting mitigation for underwriters
Creating defensible space isn't enough. You need evidence that meets underwriting standards:
| Documentation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Third-party risk assessment | Baseline and post-treatment fire behavior modeling |
| Treatment records | What was done, when, by whom, with what specifications |
| Maintenance contracts | Ongoing commitment, not one-time effort |
| MRV systems | Continuous monitoring with remote sensing and field verification |
| Regional coordination | Evidence of cross-boundary fuel management |
The IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home program is residential-focused. For high-value assets, custom assessments and ongoing MRV programs provide the evidence underwriters need.
the investment case
Compare the options:
| Strategy | Annual Cost | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Accept non-renewal | $0 | Full exposure to uninsured loss |
| Self-insure | Reserve capital | Capital tied up, concentration risk |
| Excess & surplus market | 3-5x standard premiums | Coverage, but expensive |
| Landscape investment | $50-500/acre treatment + maintenance | Reduced risk, improved insurability, asset protection |
For a 10,000-acre ranch or a facility with 500 acres of defensible perimeter needed, the math often favors investment. A one-time treatment cost of $250,000-500,000 with $50,000-100,000/year maintenance can save millions in premiums while providing actual protection.
what we do
BASIN provides the full stack for wildfire risk mitigation:
For land stewards (ranches, timberland, large ag):
- Landscape-scale fuel reduction planning
- Defensible space design for structures and infrastructure
- Ongoing stewardship with MRV documentation
- Ensurance certificates that fund perpetual treatment
For corporations with facilities:
- Wildfire exposure assessment for facilities and supply chain
- Perimeter treatment planning and contractor coordination
- Documentation packages for insurance underwriters
- Cross-boundary coordination with neighboring landowners
For investors and family offices:
- Portfolio-level wildfire exposure analysis
- Asset-by-asset risk mitigation strategies
- Due diligence support for acquisitions in fire-prone regions
- Insurance market positioning
For utilities:
- Transmission corridor and facility perimeter treatment
- Vegetation management partnership structures
- Liability reduction documentation
the broader pattern
Wildfire insurance is a leading indicator of a larger shift. Insurers are repricing nature risk across the board — flood, wind, heat, drought. The assets that remain insurable will be those that demonstrate proactive risk management.
Landscape investment isn't just about wildfire. It's about positioning assets for a future where nature risk is priced into every policy. The organizations and investors who move first will have access to coverage — and premiums — that laggards won't.
next steps
- Assess your portfolio's wildfire exposure — Which assets are in WUI zones? What's their current insurability status?
- Model treatment scenarios — What would defensible perimeter treatment cost? What's the premium impact?
- Engage with underwriters — What would they need to see to improve terms?
- Talk to BASIN — Contact us about assessment and planning