An impact analysis for the National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires

This report estimates the impacts of the National Research Council’s National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires (“the National WUI Guide” or “the Guide”) through the ratio of the avoided future losses to the capital and maintenance costs (called the benefit-cost ratio, BCR). The National WUI Guide provides direction on how to build and maintain fire-resilient buildings near wildlands. It calls either for structures to be built with non-combustible materials or for surrounding vegetation to be controlled, or both. Satisfying the National WUI Guide’s recommendations appears to offer benefits that greatly exceed its costs. 

The benefits come from avoiding future property and life-safety losses. Ten key findings of the review of the Guide are:

• New houses built to satisfy the National WUI Guide recommendations save over 30:1.
• Retrofitting saves up to 14:1.
• Communities save up to 14:1, when the costs to homeowners, municipalities, and utilities are accounted for. 
• Using the Guide nationally saves up to 4:1, avoiding $500 billion in future losses at a cost of $125 billion.
• Nature-based solutions save even more.
• Stakeholders working together to follow the National WUI Guide can lower barriers and costs, increasing the nation’s benefit.
• Climate change makes adaptation more urgent.
• Municipalities and utilities share the cost burden.
• The benefit estimates in this study of the National WUI Guide are conservatively low.
• There’s more to do.