Wildfires

The UN's disaster office backs controlled burning to prevent wildfires, as do G7 leaders. England still restricts it on heather moorland.

Large wildfires in England nearly doubled in 2026 and fire services used a record 12,125 appliances by August. What the data means for fuel management.

All 15 UK National Parks accept nature recovery can raise fuel loads. Moorland wildfire policy must judge outcomes, not processes, and Section 25 needs review.

The claim that a wetter bog sheds its flammable heather has never been directly tested in UK uplands — and the evidence shows heather thriving on wet peat.

England and Wales had a record 1,350 wildfires in 2026. See what the BBC found and how land managers cut fuel loads before the fire season to lower the risk.

FireInSite uses UK vegetation measurements, weather and terrain to predict wildfire behaviour, with encouraging early tests and further validation needed.

A Guardian report on UK wildfires shows fuel matters alongside weather. What its evidence means for managing heather moorland and protecting peat.

Greater Manchester’s Chief Fire Officer praises the Peak District Moorland Group and gamekeepers for their support during this summer’s devastating wildfires.

MPs on the EFRA Committee question ministers on moorland burning licences, peatland rewetting and support for land managers fighting upland wildfires.

University of Nottingham says rewetting is still essential but wants stability checked in deep peat and on slopes, where modelled stable depth falls to 0.27m at 12°.

Bangor scientists say this summer's Welsh upland fires destroyed soil millennia in the making. Why fuel load is the variable land managers can control.

Defra admits peatland rewetting takes decades. So who manages the wildfire fuel building up on English moors in the meantime?