Insurance Research or Regulatory Blueprint?

What This Document Is

In July 2023, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) published a white paper titled The Science of Zone Zero IBHS whitepaper. The paper was released during the California Board of Forestry’s active rulemaking process to define Zone 0 (the 0–5 foot ember-resistant zone around homes and other structures in residential yards).

Although presented as a scientific summary, the document functions as a policy-facing analysis that evaluates the Board’s draft regulation and proposes specific revisions to strengthen combustible removal requirements within five feet of homes.

What the White Paper Argues

The IBHS paper advances a clear thesis:

Removing all “combustible” materials within the first five feet of a structure is the most effective way to reduce home ignition risk.

To support this position, the document:

• Cites experimental ember-accumulation testing at the IBHS Research Center

• References post-fire investigations (including NIST and Grass Valley Fire reports)

• Emphasizes ignition pathways created by vegetation (aka plants and trees), fences, and attached materials

• Highlights statistics on residential structure loss in California wildfires

The paper also proposes amendments to the Board’s draft rule, including restrictions on shrubs, potted plants, and combustible fence sections within five feet of structures.

Why It Matters

This document is significant because it demonstrates how insurance-sector research institutions are engaging directly in California’s wildfire regulatory process. The paper does more than summarize research findings; it critiques draft regulatory language and recommends more stringent fuel-reduction requirements.

Understanding this distinction is important:

• Scientific research explains ignition mechanisms.

• Regulatory policy determines how that science is applied across diverse residential landscapes and private property.

The IBHS paper strongly centers ignition vulnerability within the first five feet of a structure. It does not extensively address:

• Urban conflagration dynamics in dense communities

• Structure-to-structure fire spread under extreme wind conditions

• Economic feasibility for legacy housing stock

• Ecological implications of blanket vegetation removal

These omissions do not invalidate the research cited, but they shape the regulatory framing.

The IBHS paper strongly centers ignition vulnerability within the first five feet of a structure. It does not extensively address:

• Urban conflagration (houses catching other houses on fire) dynamics in dense communities

• Structure-to-structure fire spread under extreme wind conditions

• Economic feasibility for legacy housing stock

• Ecological implications of blanket vegetation removal

These omissions do not invalidate the research cited, but they shape the regulatory framing.

My Professional Perspective

As an ecological horticulturist and wildfire policy analyst, I view this white paper as a clear example of science being translated into prescriptive regulation through an insurance-driven risk lens.

The core ignition science is real and important. The regulatory application, however, raises broader questions about proportionality, context, and unintended consequences in dense urban environments.

A Zone 0 will affect millions of California homeowners. Documents like this help us understand how and why specific laws emerge that benefits the interest of the industry. In this case, Zone 0 will help insurance providers deny claims, deny coverage, and increase rates.