Research Paper Summaries

A new study from Nevada, USA, has found that smoke from wildland fires can lead to increased hospital visits for breathing and heart problems - and the type of fire makes a difference.

A ten-year study across three British upland peatlands has found that active heather management - especially controlled burning - can improve the nutritional quality of key moorland plants.

This blog post provides a detailed summary of the paper: Unprecedented UK heatwave harmonised drivers of fuel moisture creating extreme temperate wildfire risk.

A new UK study has shown how extreme heatwaves can dramatically increase the risk of severe wildfires on heath and peatland landscapes.

Proactive land management - including traditional burning - is essential to protecting both ecosystems and rural communities from catastrophic wildfire.

Red grouse are famed for their ability to thrive on heather, a plant that makes up most of their diet. Heather is tough, woody, and full of fibre - not the easiest food to digest. A new study has revealed how grouse manage it.

A new study comparing two large heathlands in Europe has found that prescribed fire can significantly benefit bird species that rely on open heath habitats.

A scientific review by Dr. Andreas Heinemeyer and colleagues critically examines ten common claims regarding the effects of prescribed heather burning on UK peatlands, often made by governmental, non-governmental organizations, media, and scientists.

A Norwegian study has shown that traditional land management - including prescribed burning and grazing - plays a vital role in supporting wildlife and protecting landscapes.

A new study has found that wildland firefighters are exposed to harmful substances during wildfire suppression that can increase their risk of serious health problems - including lung damage, oxidative stress, and even cancer.

The summer of 2022 saw London face its worst wildfire outbreak on record, fuelled by extreme heat and parched green spaces.

A new 38-year satellite study from the United States shows clear evidence that controlled, or “prescribed,” burning reduces the size and spread of wildfires.

A new three-year study from Northeast China sheds light on how prescribed burning can increase carbon storage in peatlands – a result that challenges common assumptions about fire and carbon loss.

A study shows grouse moors supported twice as many breeding waders, including curlew, lapwing, and golden plover. Curlew breeding success was four times higher on grouse moors.

A new review looks at how “headstarting” - raising Eurasian Curlew chicks in captivity before releasing them into the wild - is being used across Europe to support this much-loved wading bird.

The research paper “Spikes in UK wildfire emissions driven by peatland fires in dry years” evaluates the impact of wildfires on carbon (C) emissions in the UK from 2001 to 2021, with a specific focus on peatlands.

Research from the North Pennines adds to growing evidence that traditional grouse moor management - including controlled heather burning - can benefit the health of peatlands.

Drawing on recent reports and research, we explore how the financial burden of wildfires is calculated and what figures we might anticipate under future conditions.

A new academic report has underlined the critical role that gamekeepers play in protecting England’s upland landscapes - particularly in preventing wildfires, conserving wildlife, and supporting local economies.

Research shows a dramatic fall in Black Grouse numbers across southern Scotland over the last 30 years - and highlights the importance of large, well-managed moorland to their survival.