Research Paper Summaries

Evidence suggests that heather is more resilient to wet conditions than is often assumed, and that ceasing fuel management in favor of rewetting alone could increase the risk of severe wildfires.

There is no robust data to support the claim that prescribed heather burning reduces Sphagnum abundance and peat formation, and in fact, several datasets reject it.

A scientific review challenges the idea that fire and heather dominance are recent phenomena primarily driven by modern management practices like grouse moor management.

New research has revealed the global health impacts of the record-breaking wildfires that swept through Canada in 2023, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths across North America and Europe.

A new study has modelled how prescribed burning interacts with uncontrolled wildfires. The researchers compared two main approaches: reactive and proactive.

Scientists have questioned the claim that prescribed heather burning causes a net peat carbon loss and contributes to the climate crisis.

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.