Muirburn or Wildfire?

It will have escaped the notice of few of those involved in moorland management, that combined with increasingly unpredictable and unseasonal weather, we are seeing a very significant increase in the number and scale of wildfires on the UK’s Moorland. This mirrors what is happening overseas. Wildfires in the UK mostly occur on one of our most precious habitats, being heather moorland. Sadly, NatureScot and Natural England, the respective Governmental organisations charged with protecting these very valuable assets seem unaware of the rapidly increasing threat or if they are aware, still seem to be doing nothing very much to try and prevent it. This is a disaster waiting to happen and shows an appalling lack of responsibility; it is almost as though the people who should in Sir Keir Starmer’s words be “grown ups” have not reached that age of maturity yet.

The end of June wildfire in Morayshire (close by Nairn), burnt approximately 30,000 acres in total on more than seven different Estates. The fire allegedly started due to a careless mistake by a Government Contractor and burnt for nearly a week. During that timescale, over 100 Gamekeepers, Farmers, Estate workers and other helpers along with the Grantown Fire Service and adjacent fire brigades, brought their firefighting machinery to both contain it and then to try and put it out. The scale and intensity of the fire was extraordinary and two Headkeepers that we spoke to who were involved, and have had many years’ experience of heather burning, described the ferocity as unbelievable and fighting it very frightening indeed. The fire swept through heather moorland, established woodland and scrubland, as well as more recently planted conifer and hardwood plantations. It jumped tarmac roads and such was the intensity of the heat, it consumed everything in front of it. It was eventually extinguished by heavy rainfall, but without that thousands more acres would have been burnt.

“They are so pathologically opposed to burning, they are happy to accept the significantly increased risk of Wildfires.“

The irony is that controlled habitat management on heather moorland has become much much harder in the North of England, because of Natural England’s actions (managed burns over “deep” peat are now not allowed) and not content with that restriction, they are currently trying to reduce the definition of what deep peat consists of. In Scotland, the devolved Government is bringing in its new Muirburn provisions, which again will make managed burning much harder to do. The Scottish Fire Brigades have made it clear that proper habitat management is absolutely essential in order to reduce the risk of wildfires, and yet both Governments and their respective environmental guardians seem oblivious to the contradictions which they have imposed. It is as though they inhabit a parallel universe. Although perhaps it is as the Americans say because none of these people in power or with power “have any skin in the game”. It is an old adage of power without responsibility and when you meet and discuss this subject, it is clear that because they are so pathologically opposed to burning, they are happy to accept the significantly increased risk of Wildfires. One of Natural England’s staff in the Peak District the other day justified Wildfires as being a natural phenomenon!

“None of these people in power or with power have any skin in the game”.

Almost certainly we have not yet seen the worst of what could happen given increasingly dry weather patterns and high winds. When asked some years ago at a Wildfire Conference, what would make Natural England take wildfires more seriously, their representative answered, “probably a death”. We look in amazement at the devastation caused in other parts of the world by wildfires, and yet somehow we do not think that this will happen here. It can and it will. The Surrey Hills would be a perfect place for wildfires to occur, capable of burning properties and killing people, as well as the extraordinary environmental damage left behind. To appreciate what this is like, a visit to the recent Morayshire Wildfire should be a priority for the heads and senior staff of both Natural England and NatureScot. It will be interesting to see if they rise to the challenge but we will not hold our breath. What we can say with confidence is that this problem is going to only get worse, and our Governments’ actions or lack of positive action, will only add to the problem.

Sadly, we cannot truthfully say that in this regard, the people in charge are fit for purpose. It really is as simple as that!

Article written by Mark Osborne

Founder and Managing Director of JM Osborne Rural & Sporting