Adapt to wildfire risks with nature-based solutions

In 2024, the world experienced 58 natural disasters (such as floods, wildfires, droughts, heatwaves, and storms) that caused over USD $1 billion in damages each (1). At the same time, Swiss Re estimates that insurance losses from natural disasters are rising at 5–7% annually, reaching USD $145 billion by the end of this year (2). In particular, commercial buildings and infrastructure, ranging from office buildings to production facilities, warehouses, roads and power grids, face increasing exposure to the growing risk of natural hazards. For businesses, this requires shifting from reactive recovery efforts towards proactive prevention strategies.

Research by UNEP has shown that Nature-based Solutions (NbS) - which are defined as actions to protect, conserve, restore, and sustainably manage different types of ecosystems to address business and societal challenges - can reduce the negative effects of natural hazards and simultaneously provide tangible benefits for the implementing business (3). By applying NbS at the landscape level with the involvement of local experts and stakeholders, these solutions achieve their greatest impact in terms of cost savings and protection potential against natural hazards.

In recent years, wildfires have intensified across California. As of early 2024, CAL FIRE reported a 159% increase in fire starts and a 1,727,729% increase in acres burned compared to the five-year average. The combination of climate change, drought, and the spread of development into fire-prone landscapes has made wildfire risk one of the most urgent natural hazard challenges in the United States.

Santa Clara County - home to Silicon Valley’s major commercial and industrial infrastructure—is particularly vulnerable. Although historically less affected than northern and southern California, its steep terrain, Mediterranean climate, and dense wildland-urban interface (WUI) have led to a growing frequency and severity of fires. Events such as the 2016 Loma Fire and the 2020 SCU Lightning Complex Fire underscored the need for a coordinated, landscape-scale approach to wildfire mitigation that integrates ecology, infrastructure, and community resilience.

SWCA Environmental Consultants, a U.S.-based employee-owned company specializing in environmental and cultural resource management, has supported public and private clients in wildfire planning and risk reduction for over 20 years. In partnership with the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, SWCA developed and updated the County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) - a roadmap for integrating nature-based wildfire resilience strategies across the landscape.

Figure 1: Santa Clara County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) covers more than 2.000 acres of high-risk land (left). The risk of wildfires is ‘high’, and increases on a yearly basis (right).

As mentioned in the introduction, improving wildfire management in Santa Clara County has become increasingly critical due to the region’s growing wildfire risk and history of destructive fires. While large-scale wildfires have historically been less frequent than in other parts of California, the County’s combination of steep terrain, Mediterranean climate, and dense wildland-urban interface creates conditions for high-risk fire events that have intensified in recent years. Past wildfires, such as the 2016 Loma Fire and the 2020 SCU Lightning Complex Fire, burned thousands of acres, threatened homes and commercial infrastructure, and damaged watersheds that supply much of Silicon Valley’s water. These events underscored the urgent need for a coordinated, landscape-level approach to wildfire mitigation that could protect businesses, communities, and the local ecosystem alike.

To mitigate the increasing risks of wildfires, SWCA partnered with the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council to develop a comprehensive, long-term wildfire resilience strategy rooted in improved land management techniques. Together, they designed and implemented the County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), which was first established in 2015 and updated in 2023. The CWPP, developed under the U.S. Healthy Forest Restoration Act, serves as a blueprint for identifying wildfire risks and coordinating mitigation efforts across jurisdictions. It brings together a wide array of partners, including local governments, fire departments, state and federal agencies, utilities, landowners, and community organizations, to plan and implement wildfire mitigation activities at the landscape level (read more in section ‘Stakeholders involved’).

SWCA’s role was to facilitate collaboration among these diverse stakeholders and develop a strategy that integrated ecological restoration with infrastructure protection. The plan included targeted interventions, such as vegetation management, targeted grazing, and prescribed fire to reduce fuel loads and safeguard evacuation routes. In high-risk areas with difficult terrain, prescribed herbivory (targeted grazing by livestock, such as goats) was introduced in partnership with the Santa Clara County Cattlemen’s Association, while collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife supported wetland and beaver habitat restoration to create natural firebreaks. The plan also explored opportunities to restore elk populations to improve grassland and forest health, and supported the establishment of a Prescribed Burn Association to reintroduce controlled, low-intensity fire as a natural land management tool. This approach was complemented by recommended new technologies such as BurnBot, which uses robotic systems to safely conduct prescribed burns in urban-adjacent areas.

Financing was a central component of the CWPP’s success. CAL FIRE funded the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council with a $250,000 grant to update the Santa Clara Countywide CWPP. Santa Clara County FireSafe Council selected SWCA Environmental Consultants to be the lead partner in the development of the plan and story map. Implementing the plan requires a coordinated funding effort across multiple agencies and jurisdictions. Through the leadership of the FireSafe Council , the County has successfully secured over USD $20 million in grants from CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), FEMA, and philanthropic partners. Significant funding came from the California Climate Investments program, which channels Cap-and-Trade revenues toward projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience. One standout example is the collaboration between San Jose Water, CAL FIRE, and Santa Clara County, which received nearly USD $15 million total, in two separate grant awards, in Forest Health Grants to implement large-scale vegetation management and watershed protection along Los Gatos Creek. This project protects key water systems and treatment plants that serve over one million residents and numerous businesses in the greater San Jose metropolitan area, reducing post-fire infrastructure repair costs and maintaining a clean, reliable water supply. In the 1985 Lexington Hills Fire, the water systems reservoirs were impacted with ash and sediment that reduced intake and water storage capacity by 20%.

Since the plan’s completion, the FireSafe Council and its partners have moved from planning to on-the-ground action. Together, they have established 30 Firewise Communities (a neighborhood or community that has organized to reduce its vulnerability to wildfire through a structured program administered by the National Fire Protection Association), directly reducing wildfire risks for homes and businesses across the region. Over 2,000 acres of high-risk land have been treated through vegetation management, thinning, and native species replanting, which in turn created defensible space and reduced fuel intensity near critical infrastructure. Invasive, flammable species such as eucalyptus were removed and replaced with native, fire-resilient plants. Prescribed grazing and controlled burns were strategically applied to reduce vegetation density along community perimeters and evacuation routes.

Figure 2: Following the planning phase (left), actions included prescribed fires (middle), thinning, as well as the removal of invasive species (right)

These coordinated efforts have significantly reduced wildfire exposure for commercial buildings and assets, improved operational continuity and reduced the long-term costs of maintenance and recovery. Importantly, the program has demonstrated that integrating ecological processes into infrastructure management can deliver measurable risk-reduction benefits for both public and private sectors. Today, Santa Clara County’s wildfire resilience effort represents a pioneering example of how Nature-based Solutions can be used to protect commercial buildings and infrastructure, as well as local communities, from the increasing risk of climate change-induced wildfires. By reducing wildfire exposure around energy and water systems, lowering post-fire recovery costs, and safeguarding community assets, the initiative has shown that nature and infrastructure can work hand-in-hand to build climate resilience.

Sustainability impact

Climate impact

Through large-scale vegetation management, prescribed fire, and targeted grazing, Santa Clara County’s wildfire resilience initiatives have significantly reduced the fuel loads that drive wildfire intensity and spread. These interventions lower the likelihood of catastrophic, high-severity fires that release vast amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. At the same time, restoring native woodlands and re-establishing riparian vegetation has strengthened the landscape’s capacity to sequester carbon over time, turning degraded or fire-prone areas into long-term carbon sinks. Projects implemented under CAL FIRE’s Forest Health and California Climate Investments programs - both integral funding streams for this work - are estimated to have avoided or sequestered tens of thousands of metric tons of CO₂ statewide, contributing directly to California’s broader climate mitigation and adaptation goals. Beyond emissions reductions, these actions help stabilize local microclimates, regulate hydrology, and improve watershed resilience, creating a virtuous cycle of ecological and climatic benefits that extend well beyond the treated areas.

Nature impact

The County’s restoration work has generated wide-ranging ecological benefits. The removal of highly flammable, non-native species such as eucalyptus, followed by the replanting of native, fire-resilient trees and shrubs, has improved habitat connectivity, soil stability, and water quality across the treated landscapes. In riparian zones and upland forests, the re-establishment of native vegetation has reduced erosion and sedimentation, while enhancing the capacity of local watersheds to absorb and store water - an essential function in California’s variable climate. Together, these interventions have created a more diverse and balanced ecosystem, supporting pollinators, birds, and native mammals while improving the overall ecological integrity of the Santa Clara Valley. In areas where prescribed burns and grazing were implemented, vegetation recovery has been monitored to ensure that native grasses and shrubs dominate post-treatment landscapes, which reinforces long-term ecosystem health and resilience.

Social impact

At the community level, the Santa Clara County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) has delivered measurable improvements in safety, preparedness, and social cohesion. The creation of 30 Firewise Communities has empowered residents to take ownership of local fire risk management through defensible space planning, evacuation preparedness, and ongoing fuel reduction efforts. Over 2,000 acres of high-risk land have been treated across multiple jurisdictions, directly reducing wildfire threats to homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure such as power lines, communication systems, and water utilities. These projects collectively safeguard more than one million residents in the greater Silicon Valley area.

Crucially, the planning and implementation process emphasized inclusivity and transparency. Bilingual workshops, multi-agency stakeholder meetings, and direct engagement with tribes and landowners built trust and established a sense of shared responsibility for resilience across socio-economic and cultural boundaries. This participatory approach strengthened relationships between local communities and government institutions, helping to ensure long-term stewardship of wildfire mitigation efforts. Beyond reducing physical risks, these initiatives have fostered a culture of cooperation and preparedness, demonstrating that community-led, Nature-based Solutions can enhance both safety and social cohesion in the face of escalating wildfire threats.

Figure 3: Frequent stakeholder meetings, embedded inclusivity, and an ‘all lands, all hands’ approach strengthened trust, cohesion, and fostered a shared sense of responsibility for all participants.

Business impact

Benefits

For businesses operating in wildfire-prone regions like California’s Silicon Valley, building resilience to wildfire risk is not only an environmental necessity—it is a strategic business imperative. Companies in this region depend on uninterrupted access to energy, water, and transportation networks, all of which are vulnerable to wildfire disruptions. The Santa Clara County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) demonstrates how integrating Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into wildfire management can protect critical infrastructure, reduce operational risks, and deliver measurable financial and reputational value for both public and private entities.

One of the most tangible benefits for companies has been the reduction in infrastructure risk and maintenance costs. Strategic vegetation management and the creation of defensible spaces around industrial assets and utility corridors have lowered fire intensity near high-risk sites. These natural buffers not only minimize the need for costly post-fire repairs but also prevent damage to essential assets such as transmission lines, communication infrastructure, and water systems. In particular, San Jose Water’s partnership with CAL FIRE, the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, and other agencies is demonstrating how targeted vegetation management in watersheds can reduce long-term repair and treatment costs following fires, ensuring reliable service for more than one million customers. The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council has also provided San Jose Water with several advanced technologies to monitor watershed health and early detection of wildfire. These include 25 N5 Sensors wildfire smoke detections sensors placed throughout the watershed and in communities rated High and Very High wildfire risk in CAL FIRE’s designed High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. In addition, the FireSafe Council is providing OroraTech satellite-based wildfire ignition detection and fire spread mapping to monitor ignitions across 130,000 acres of San Jose Water property that includes high risk emergency communications infrastructure and neighboring high-value homes.

The initiative has also provided businesses with greater insurance stability and financial security. Across California, rising wildfire risks have led insurers to withdraw coverage or drastically increase premiums for commercial properties in high-risk zones. By investing in Firewise-certified landscapes, implementing vegetation buffers, and participating in coordinated risk-reduction programs, companies can demonstrate proactive mitigation efforts that help retain insurance eligibility and lower premiums. This proactive approach sends a clear signal to insurers and regulators that risk is being managed responsibly at both the facility and landscape level.

Maintaining supply chain continuity is another critical benefit. Wildfire damage to power lines, roads, and water infrastructure can halt production, delay distribution, and disrupt business operations far beyond the immediate fire zone. Through the CWPP, utilities and local industries are working collaboratively to strengthen the resilience of shared systems. The San Jose Water project, for example, reduces wildfire-related risks to water quality and delivery, protecting not only the company’s assets but also the downstream businesses and communities that depend on them.

Finally, these actions have generated significant environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and reputational value for participating organizations. By supporting landscape-level, multi-stakeholder initiatives, companies demonstrate authentic leadership in climate adaptation, biodiversity restoration, and community safety. This strengthens stakeholder trust, supports compliance with emerging disclosure frameworks such as the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), and enhances competitiveness in sustainability-driven markets.

Together, these benefits show that wildfire resilience is not just about avoiding losses - it is a form of value creation. By investing in nature-based, landscape-level solutions, companies in high-risk regions can safeguard critical infrastructure, reduce financial exposure, and build long-term adaptive capacity. This integrated approach transforms wildfire resilience from a reactive cost-centric approach into a strategic asset that supports business continuity, regulatory compliance, and community well-being.

Costs

Implementing wildfire resilience measures across Santa Clara County required a combination of planning, coordination, and significant financial investment. The development and implementation of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) were supported primarily through public grant funding rather than direct private investment, helping to minimize upfront costs for local governments, utilities, and businesses participating in the initiative.

The financing model for the CWPP reflects a multi-source funding approach, leveraging contributions from state and federal programs such as CAL FIRE’s Forest Health Grants, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as philanthropic support. Collectively, partners secured more than USD 25 million in grants to implement key vegetation management and forest health projects. These funds covered activities such as prescribed burns, grazing operations, invasive species removal, native replanting, and the creation of defensible space around infrastructure and high-risk communities.

For specific projects, such as the San Jose Water partnership, funding was also linked to California’s Climate Investments Program, which reinvests revenue from the state’s Cap-and-Trade system into initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance climate resilience. Through two CAL FIRE Forest Health Grants totaling almost USD 15 million, vegetation management treatments are being applied to thousands of acres along Los Gatos Creek, a critical water source for the greater San Jose region. This investment not only reduced wildfire risk but also safeguarded water quality and reduced the future costs of post-fire infrastructure repairs and watershed restoration.

Operational expenses included the coordination of multi-agency teams, field crews, and compliance specialists, as well as the procurement of monitoring equipment and ecological surveys to track project outcomes. Because the CWPP was designed as a long-term, landscape-scale strategy, many of the costs are phased and distributed over several years. This staged approach allows for gradual expansion of treatments while securing new funding as projects demonstrate measurable results.

Although precise cost-benefit ratios have not been published, early assessments indicate that the avoided costs from wildfire damages - including infrastructure repair, emergency response, and insurance losses - are likely to outweigh the initial implementation costs over time. By integrating wildfire prevention directly into forest and watershed management, participating organizations are reducing exposure to multimillion-dollar post-fire recovery costs, ensuring more stable operations and public service continuity in the long term.

In essence, while implementing the CWPP required substantial upfront investment and ongoing coordination across multiple jurisdictions, the financial return lies in risk reduction: avoiding future losses, preserving critical infrastructure, and ensuring continued access to state and federal funding. As more projects under the plan demonstrate measurable resilience outcomes, Santa Clara County’s collaborative funding model provides a practical and replicable blueprint for how nature-based wildfire management can be scaled across other high-risk regions.

Impact beyond sustainability and business

Potential side-effects

Challenges included:

• Coordinating multiple agencies and landowners across complex jurisdictions.

• Aligning regulatory and funding timelines under California’s stringent environmental laws.

• Managing public concerns around prescribed burning and grazing. Through transparent communication, stakeholder workshops, and demonstration projects, these concerns were successfully mitigated, transforming initial skepticism into active collaboration.

Typical business profile

The approach showcased in this case study is particularly applicable for utility companies (energy, water, telecoms) operating in fire-prone regions, commercial campuses and real estate developers seeking to safeguard infrastructure, as well as industrial operators reliant on continuous water and power supply. However, the benefits of this project stretch beyond businesses to also include municipalities and community organizations aiming to enhance landscape resilience.

Approach

• Conduct wildfire risk assessment: Map and analyze wildfire hazards across the landscape using GIS-based modeling to identify priority zones in the wildland–urban interface (WUI), evacuation corridors, and critical infrastructure areas most at risk.

• Engage stakeholders across sectors: Convene a wide range of partners (including local and regional agencies, utilities, ranchers, conservation groups, tribes, and fire departments) through workshops, bilingual public meetings, and outreach sessions to align priorities and build trust.

• Develop a landscape-scale strategy: Design a coordinated Protection Plan that integrates Nature-based Solutions (NbS) with traditional fire prevention infrastructure.

• Integrate Nature-based Solutions: Implement vegetation thinning, grazing, and prescribed burns to reduce fuel loads; restore riparian zones and wetland habitats for natural firebreaks; remove invasive species; and replant native, low-combustibility vegetation.

• Strengthen water and utility resilience: Collaborate with partners to treat thousands of acres of hazardous fuels, protecting water systems, treatment plants, and supply networks in the landscape.

• Empower communities through Firewise programs: Establish Firewise Communities across the landscape to promote defensible space creation, improve evacuation planning, and raise awareness of local fire risks and preparedness measures.

• Secure and coordinate financing: Leverage different funding streams (e.g., grant funding, private-sector investments and philanthropic support) to implement vegetation management, forest health projects, and community resilience measures.

• Monitor, evaluate, and adapt: Continuously track vegetation treatments, grazing outcomes, and prescribed burns to assess fuel reduction, ecosystem recovery, and community safety improvements.

• Scale collective implementation: Expand the Protection Plan to cover adjacent landscapes and share best practices with partners and beyond.

Stakeholders involved

• Santa Clara County FireSafe Council: Serves as the lead coordinating body and primary implementation driver, project manager and grant recipient. The Council leads the consortium responsible for executing the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and securing funding for vegetation management, prescribed fire, and forest health projects.

• SWCA Environmental Consultants: Acted as the lead technical partner for the CWPP’s design, risk modeling, stakeholder engagement, and plan development. SWCA facilitated multi-agency collaboration and ensured compliance with California’s rigorous environmental and regulatory standards.

• San Jose Water: Implemented large-scale vegetation management and watershed protection projects along Los Gatos Creek, supported by CAL FIRE’s Forest Health and Climate Investments programs. These efforts protect water infrastructure serving over one million residents in the greater San Jose metropolitan area.

• CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection): Provided major funding through Forest Health and Climate Investments programs, as well as technical guidance for fuel reduction, prescribed fire, and forest health initiatives.

• U.S. Forest Service (USFS): Supported the CWPP and implementation activities through funding, technical resources, and alignment with national wildfire resilience priorities.

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Contributed grant funding for hazard mitigation and resilience projects to reduce wildfire risk and enhance community preparedness.

• Local governments and utilities: Collaborated in identifying high-priority treatment zones, protecting power and water infrastructure, and coordinating across multiple jurisdictions for effective implementation.

• California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW): Partnered to create a statewide standard operating procedures for Red Legged Frog protection as a result of this species being found during biological surveys, wetland restoration as part of natural firebreak strategies, supporting biodiversity and water retention.

• Santa Clara County Cattlemen’s Association: Intent to work with project partners to develop regional grazing plans, deploying targeted herbivory (grazing) as a natural fuel reduction measure in steep and high-risk terrain.

• Community organizations, NGOs, and Firewise Communities: Engaged in local implementation, education, and outreach activities—building awareness, supporting defensible space creation, and enhancing preparedness across 30 Firewise-certified communities.

• Tribal representatives: Consulted during the CWPP development to incorporate cultural knowledge and ensure inclusive planning for prescribed fire and ecological restoration.

Figure 4: Numerous stakeholders were involved in the Santa Clara County Community Wildfire Protection Plan Advisory Team

Key parameters to consider

Successful wildfire resilience planning requires careful consideration of multiple parameters, including vegetation type, slope, prevailing wind direction, and proximity to critical infrastructure. Regulatory compliance and permitting timelines can significantly influence implementation speed, as can the availability of trained personnel for prescribed fire and grazing management. Long-term success depends on sustained maintenance, data monitoring, and adaptive management to ensure fuel loads remain low and restored ecosystems continue to provide natural firebreaks.

Implementation and operations tips

Effective implementation hinges on early and inclusive stakeholder engagement to align priorities across jurisdictions and landowners. Establishing clear governance structures - such as a coordinating body like the FireSafe Council - helps streamline decision-making and funding allocation. Combining traditional land stewardship (e.g., grazing, vegetation thinning) with technological tools (e.g., GIS mapping, risk modeling) enables targeted, cost-efficient interventions. Regular monitoring, transparent reporting, and visible early successes help maintain partner trust, secure future funding, and build momentum for long-term wildfire resilience.

Generally, based on guidance and experience from leading organizations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Resources Institute (WRI), and Arcadis, several critical success factors have been identified for corporate implementation of NbS:

Address a business challenge directly: NbS must be framed as part of a company’s business solutions toolkit to drive investment and adoption. For example, NbS designed for heatwaves can deliver measurable resilience benefits to the implementing business, as illustrated in this case study.

Deliver multiple benefits: NbS inherently provide biodiversity gains while contributing to climate mitigation and offering societal benefits. With limited sustainability budgets, prioritizing projects that deliver multiple outcomes increases their attractiveness to companies.

Implement at a landscape level: Deploying NbS across a landscape maximizes their effectiveness and cost efficiency, enabling collective resilience that protects multiple stakeholders from natural hazards. Therefore, upscaling NbS is crucial.

Accurately value benefits: Proper valuation should capture avoided losses, operational savings, and enhanced asset value, which strengthens the case for private investment and ensures long-term maintenance and sustainability.

Leverage technical and local expertise: Successful NbS implementation depends on technical know-how, thorough planning, and understanding of local environmental conditions. Working in a multistakeholder, landscape-level context requires strong project management, stakeholder coordination, and potentially support from funding partners to overcome long lead times and landscape-specific challenges.

By focusing on these success factors and integrating monitoring, cost-effective resource use, and holistic benefits evaluation, companies can overcome implementation challenges, drive adoption at scale, and ensure the long-term operational success of Nature-based Solutions.