Written by Henrietta Appleton, Policy Officer (England)
Over the past 2-3 years, we have spent much time highlighting to ministers, their advisers and conservation bodies the increasing risk of wildfire to our natural environment. Our concerns are that the current direction of land management policy, particularly in the uplands, to reduce the management of vegetation through cutting, grazing and prescribed burning, with an over-reliance on rewetting to reduce the risk of wildfire on peatlands, is exacerbating this through increasing the fuel load (vegetation).
A new fire control line at Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve © Natural England
It is therefore interesting to note the conclusions of a Natural England (NE) commissioned review of three wildfires on designated sites managed by NE (the 2023 review). This report “was commissioned … to begin the process of developing a view of what may be considered good practice”. The 2023 review makes many recommendations including the need for pre-emptive measures to contain wildfire such as firebreaks. Firebreaks create ‘fire control lines’ for the Fire & Rescue Services to get close enough to tackle the wildfire without risking life due to shorter and less intense flame lengths. This is different from the view expressed by NE in its 2020 wildfire evidence review, which was that there is “limited evidence of direct effects of managing fuel load”.
The 2023 review analysed the background and development of three wildfires on designated sites managed by NE including a raised bog at Hatfield Moors (part of the Humberhead Peatlands NNR, an SSSI, SPA and SAC) and Winter Hill in Lancashire.
The recommendations from the 2023 review include:
- All protected sites should have a wildfire management plan that includes pre-emptive fire control measures.
- Managing vegetation (to a width of 2m) alongside all roads, tracks and footpaths on all designated sites to enhance their level of defence to wildfire spread.
- The creation and maintenance of firebreaks in difficult to access areas. The dimensions in the Humberhead Peatlands NNR fire strategy of 6m wide strips of mown vegetation are recommended as a minimum.
- The removal of brash after cutting to reduce fire risk.
- The need for fire control measures, such as fire breaks, during peatland restoration as “Hydrological recovery is slow.”
These recommendations completely align with the good practice measures GWCT advocates to address wildfire risk. We would therefore welcome the opportunity to work with Defra and NE on implementing these recommendations across all protected sites given that a NE blog acknowledges that the adoption of these recommendations based on fire prevention at Hatfield Moor is working (see picture above).
Part of this discussion would also involve working with Defra and NE on the licence application process to use prescribed fire to create fire breaks in line with the 2021 burning regulations to protect blanket bog. Cutting is of course an alternative to prescribed burning for fire breaks but is not achievable or advisable everywhere due to poor access, rocky or uneven ground, or on pristine blanket bog with hummocks. Also, NE’s own experience shows it is vital that the brash is removed if wildfire mitigation is the aim.
To date NE has required evidence of how a prescribed burn in heather moorland created for wildfire mitigation will not need to be managed again i.e. a one-off intervention. Yet, in the 2023 review, a key recommendation is to maintain [our emphasis] firebreaks especially in hard-to-reach areas. Why has this evolution of view based on real life experience not been communicated to all managers of designated sites with associated route maps, toolkits and advice to reach the outcome of active wildfire mitigation?
In addition, given that cutting also requires consent on protected sites, NE has presumably consented the required actions of cutting/mowing fire breaks on the Hatfield Moors designated site. Attaining the necessary licences to mitigate wildfire on moorland to date has been tortuous and largely unsuccessful. Consequently, to facilitate other land managers in the process of planning wildfire mitigation and gaining consent for the work, we would welcome NE being open with how the consents can be approved for this purpose, having itself been through the complicated process. Would NE be willing to lead by example and demonstrate how to successfully apply for these licences? To get effective wildfire mitigation plans in place for all designated sites will require teamwork.
It would also be helpful to know if NE has shared this commissioned report with Defra as a recent consultation proposed a roll-out of restrictions on prescribed burning to cover non-designated sites and include shallower peat. This means fuel loads adjacent to protected sites will now also build, adding to the urgency in adopting good practice in wildfire prevention.
In discussions we have had with Defra and Natural England over wildfire mitigation in the uplands, the point has been made that there needs to be a sweet spot between management objectives, i.e. wildfire prevention, upland species conservation, flood risk control and grouse moor management. What impact on each outcome would adopting the recommendation of 2m wide strips along each side of all roads, tracks and paths and/or 6m wide strips of minimal vegetation in inaccessible areas have?
Finally, who covers the costs of creating these wildfire management plans, applying for the consents and licences and, importantly, highlighted by the 2023 review, the ongoing maintenance/management work?
Given that 2025 has been another year of disastrous wildfires across many different ecosystems, I hope that this will (again) raise the need for pre-emptive action. The 2023 review recommendations, informed by practical land management experience, if adopted widely would bring NE into line with the broader global policy approach to wildfire of focusing on prevention rather than suppression (putting fires out once they have started), but it poses many questions. We hope to work with NE and Defra to find the answers – and fast.