Report Summary: The Response to the Carrbridge and Dava Wildfires by Land-Based and Rural Businesses
- Rob Beeson
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
A report, prepared by Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) for the Scottish Government, details the significant response of land-based and rural businesses to the Carrbridge and Dava wildfires in July 2025.
These fires collectively constituted Scotland’s largest wildfire event, affecting approximately 11,827 hectares (ha) of moorland and woodland across the Carrbridge (5,234ha) and Dava (6,593ha) areas. The report was commissioned by SLE at the request of government officials and members to understand the contribution of these businesses, quantify resources and damages, identify incidents, and gather suggestions for improving future wildfire responses.
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Key Contributions and Impact of Rural Businesses
Rural and land-based businesses played a crucial role in containing and suppressing the wildfires. At least 33 businesses responded, including 27 estates, 2 farms, 2 nature reserves, a groundworks business, and a garden services business. These responders were primarily located in the Strathdearn and Speyside regions, with additional support from Deeside, Donside, and Perthshire.
Their contribution was integral to bringing the fires under control. They provided:
Specialist Equipment: Businesses contributed 34 ATVs (Argocat, Polaris, Can-am), 27 fogging units, 9 tractors, 5 diggers, 5 water bowsers, and 50 leafblowers. The estimated total value of this equipment alone was nearly £3.1 million. Beyond firefighting equipment, they also supplied other assets like pickup trucks, fuel, radios, quadbikes, trailers, gas torches, drip torches, shovels, and wire cutters.
Personnel and Skills: At least 101 employees from these businesses were directly engaged in the containment effort. A significant majority, at least 80 employees (79%), had prior experience using fire through muirburn in land management, with 67 having completed approved training courses. This familiarity with controlled fire was crucial, providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge for effective suppression.
Tactics and Co-operation
Land managers employed a diverse range of suppression and containment tactics:
Tactical back burning.
Suppression using fogging units and leafblowers, often co-ordinated with multiple ATVs in a 'chain' formation.
Fire beaters.
Excavating and swiping firebreaks.
Suppression by rain gun on a mounted slurry tanker.
Excavating burning peat. One detailed example described a successful effort on Knockando Hill where a tractor and swipe cut heather, an Argocat fogging unit extinguished fire, and a leafblower cleared behind it over 2.5 miles, effectively containing a flank of the fire.
On-the-ground co-operation involved key stakeholders, including the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), Paul Wilson (Headkeeper, Cawdor Estate), Kevin Begg (Headkeeper, Lochindorb Estate), and Bright Spark Burning Techniques.
Most respondents expressed positivity about the overall co-operation, especially with gamekeepers and land managers, although a small number (6) were critical of the SFRS regarding perceived lack of effectiveness, presence, and organisation.
Damages, Accidents, and Near Misses
The containment effort resulted in a considerable toll on private resources. 18 businesses reported damages and breakages, ranging from £50 for a suction pipe to £5,000 for a tractor axle repair. Common breakages included Argocat chains, and many ATVs required servicing due to intense workload.
17 businesses observed accidents or near-misses. The most frequent cause was sudden wind changes, which led to unpredictable fire behaviour. Incidents included machinery getting stuck, driving through fire to rescue livestock, narrowly avoided road traffic collisions due to smoke, missing persons, drivers ignoring road closures, a tractor falling through a bridge, smoke inhalation, and cut hands from machinery repairs.
Preliminary damage assessments for eight directly impacted landholdings and businesses revealed significant losses:
Landholding A: 1,750ha burnt, including fencing, forestry, and small woodlands, impacting a planned peatland restoration project over 300ha.
Landholding B: 1,000ha of hill ground burnt, including extensive peatland restoration areas.
Landholding C: Losses included 12.1km of fencing, a bridge, culverts, a rowing boat, grit trays, grouse butts, a trail camera, and extensive track damage, with total damage expected to be a six-figure sum.
Landholding D: Approximately 120ha of commercial forestry and hill ground lost, adversely affecting black grouse, red grouse, wading birds, and mountain hares. Damage to trees and fences was estimated at £750,000.
Peatland restoration business: Estimated lost earnings of £33,000 (+VAT) between now and FY 2026-27, plus a six-figure sum loss for scoped work over several years.
Challenges and Recommendations
The report highlights critical observations and offers recommendations for both the Scottish Government and land management community:
1. Impact of the Muirburn Licensing Scheme
The report notes a strong correlation between those who responded effectively to the wildfires and those who routinely conduct muirburn. The availability of key resources like ATVs and fogging units is often linked to their use in muirburn operations.
However, the upcoming commencement of Part 2 of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Act 2024 on January 1, 2026, will introduce a more restrictive licensing scheme for muirburn.
This scheme requires understanding peatland vs. non-peatland (with many areas designated as 'uncertain') and, for peatland, an "evidential bar" requiring proof that muirburn is "necessary for the specified purpose, and no other method of vegetation control is available".
Recommendation: SLE warns that this scheme will likely reduce muirburn activity, negatively impacting fuel load management, investment in counter-wildfire resources, and the retention of critical skills. SLE recommends repealing Section 14(b)(i) and (ii) of the Act, replacing the "necessity" test with an "appropriateness" test to allow muirburn to be carried out more freely while retaining regulatory oversight.
2. Compensation for Damages
Many businesses bore the costs of equipment damages and servicing privately.
Recommendation: SLE recommends that the Scottish Government and relevant public bodies explore the feasibility of compensating land-based and rural businesses for incurred damages, breakages, and servicing costs. The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 may provide a suitable mechanism for this.
3. Improving the SFRS Response
While acknowledging the SFRS's important role, the report notes that land managers bore the brunt of containment efforts, highlighting gaps in SFRS capabilities for large-scale wildfires.
Recommendations:
Investment in bespoke SFRS ATVs with suppression capabilities, suggesting a minimum fleet of 50 geographically dispersed ATVs with fogging units, potentially on retainer from third parties.
Investment in bespoke SFRS aerial capability and enhanced authority for SFRS commanders to mobilise private helicopter assets more efficiently.
Investment in enhanced wildfire training for firefighters in wildfire-specific containment techniques (tactical back-burns, fogging units, leafblowers, fire beaters, swiping, excavation) and for commanders on tactics and strategy.
Investment in fire behaviour analysts, wildfire research, and wildfire danger rating assessments.
Raising situational awareness among land managers regarding command, control, co-ordination, and communication (C4) operating procedures.
Creation of a Scotland-wide Integrated Fire Management Strategy (IFMS), focusing on review, risk reduction, readiness, response, and recovery (R5), with leadership from the Scottish Government.
4. Improving the Land Management Community Response
Recommendations:
Campaign to encourage registration of resources on the community asset register, as many assets were mobilised informally.
Establishing formal 'fire groups' with SFRS, land managers, and stakeholders to prepare for and cohere responses.
5. Damage Assessment and Future Mitigation
Recommendation: SLE recommends funding be made available for research to assess the full scale of damage and interrogate factors that exacerbated or mitigated the fires' effects, to inform future mitigation strategies.
Conclusion
The Carrbridge and Dava wildfires are presented as a watershed moment for the Scottish Government. The report emphasizes the increasing prevalence of wildfires and the urgent need to bolster public and private sector preparedness. It also underscores that prevention is paramount, requiring consideration of measures like prohibiting recreational fires and strengthening the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
The report concludes by acknowledging the "incredible response" from land-based and rural businesses and urging the Scottish Government to avoid inadvertently compromising the "hundreds of years of collective skill and experience" that enabled land managers to respond decisively. Without their invaluable knowledge and resources, a far greater area would have succumbed to the flames.
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