Why Science Supports Controlled Burning: Our Response to the Doncaster Free Press

When a wildfire tore through Scotland's Flow Country in 2019, it released 96,000 tonnes of carbon - nearly eight times the UK's typical annual wildfire emissions combined. This single event demonstrates why getting moorland management right matters so much.

Yet recent media coverage, such as this article in the Doncaster Free Press, continues to mischaracterize controlled burning as reckless and damaging. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Here we'll examine what the science actually says about controlled burning, why international bodies endorse it, and how abandoning this practice could put our uplands, and the communities around them, at serious risk.

The Critical Difference: Controlled Burns vs. Wildfires

A controlled burn is not a wildfire waiting to happen - it's the tool that prevents wildfires.

What makes controlled burning different

Controlled burns (also called "cool burns") are low-intensity fires conducted by trained land managers during winter months. They follow strict regulations under the Heather and Grass Burning Code. The goal is simple: remove the top layer of vegetation without damaging the peat soil underneath.

By managing the "fuel load" (the accumulated flammable vegetation) we drastically reduce the risk of the fast-spreading, high-intensity fires that erupt during hot, dry summers.

This isn't just a UK practice. The G7, European Union, and United States all endorse controlled burning as a key wildfire prevention tool.

The irresponsibility myth

Critics often paint controlled burning as reckless. The data tells a different story. Internal fire authority records show that managed burns getting out of control account for less than 5% of wildfires.

As researchers Davies et al. (2016b) noted: "Despite the complex, long-term role of fire in peatland management, there is a growing trend of simplifying the narrative around burning in the uplands of the UK. This can present managed burning as an ecological practice that is only ever damaging..."

That oversimplification is dangerous, it threatens to eliminate a proven wildfire prevention tool.

Key Fact: Managed burns that escape control represent less than 5% of UK wildfires, while unmanaged moorland presents the highest wildfire risk.

Does Burning Actually Damage Peat? What the Research Shows

Here's where claims often diverge from evidence. The scientific consensus on controlled burning's impact on peat is "limited and often conflicted." Claims of uniform damage simply aren't supported by available research.

How cool burning protects peat

The technique is specifically designed to shield the peat soil. Because burns happen in winter when the ground is damp, the low-intensity fire moves quickly across the surface. The moss layer and peat below remain unharmed.

Need proof? In one demonstration, a Mars Bar placed within the moss layer survived a controlled burn completely intact. That's how effectively the underlying peat is protected from heat.

The Sphagnum moss question

Many assume burning harms Sphagnum, the moss crucial to peat formation. Multiple studies show the opposite. Research by Whitehead et al. (2021) and Lee et al. (2013) found that burning old, dense heather actually increases Sphagnum cover by removing the light-blocking canopy above it.

Another important point: Sphagnum isn't the only peat-forming plant. Heather itself forms peat, a fact recognized by both the IUCN (2014) and The Wildlife Trusts.

Carbon Emissions: Why Context Matters

Yes, any fire releases carbon. But the scale matters enormously.

The wildfire carbon problem

Wildfires on deep peat are the UK's largest source of wildfire emissions, accounting for up to 90% of the annual total. Their intense heat burns deep into carbon-rich peat that's been storing carbon for centuries.

Remember that 2019 Flow Country fire? Those 96,000 tonnes of carbon represent centuries of stored carbon released in weeks. In severe peatland wildfires, the soil alone can release over 90 tonnes of carbon per hectare.

The controlled burn calculation

A controlled burn removes around 6 to 13 tonnes of carbon per hectare from surface vegetation. That's it. We're making a calculated choice: emit a small, recoverable amount of carbon from vegetation to protect the massive, irreplaceable carbon stocks in the peat below.

It's like paying a small insurance premium to protect against catastrophic loss.

Critical Stat: Peatland wildfires can release 90+ tonnes of carbon per hectare from the soil alone. Controlled burns remove just 6-13 tonnes from surface vegetation, a calculated sacrifice to prevent disaster.

Why Banning Controlled Burns Would Backfire

Some argue that ending controlled burning is essential for protecting peat and fighting climate change. The evidence suggests this would achieve precisely the opposite.

What happens without controlled burning

When controlled burning stops, old, dry, woody heather accumulates year after year. Research shows this aging heather also dries out the peat's surface layer over time.

High fuel loads plus drier peat equals perfect wildfire conditions.

This isn't speculation. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has explicitly warned that banning controlled burning could "increase the wildfire risk" and create an unsustainable burden on Fire & Rescue Services.

Why rewetting alone isn't enough

Rewetting moorlands is valuable, but it's not a quick fix. The process can take decades to become fully effective. Even healthy, wet peatlands like the Flow Country burn during extreme drought.

Active fuel management remains essential alongside rewetting to build genuinely resilient moorlands.

The Frontline Defenders You Don't Hear About

When critics claim irresponsibility, they overlook who actually fights upland wildfires: gamekeepers and moorland managers.

First responders with unique capabilities

These professionals live and work in the uplands. They have the skills, local knowledge, and specialized equipment to tackle fires in their earliest stages, often reaching remote blazes long before fire engines can navigate rough terrain.

Their All-Terrain Vehicles fitted with fogging units? That equipment exists because of their controlled burning work.

Proven track record

During the Carrbridge and Dava wildfires, land-based businesses contributed an estimated £3.1 million in equipment and over 100 staff. Crucially, 80% of those staff had practical muirburn (controlled burning) experience.

As Scottish Land & Estates concluded: "Landholdings unwilling or unable to make muirburn are less likely to invest in the kind of resources which were readily employed over the course of the Carrbridge and Dava wildfires."

This firefighting capacity exists only because of active moorland management. Eliminate controlled burning, and we lose this privately-funded, skilled fire response network.

Hidden Value: During major Scottish wildfires, land managers contributed £3.1 million in equipment and 100+ staff, 80% with controlled burning experience. This capacity exists only through active moorland management.

What This Means for Moorland's Future

Protecting our moorlands requires policies based on evidence, not assumptions or oversimplified narratives.

The facts are clear:

• Controlled burning is an internationally endorsed wildfire prevention tool

• It protects, rather than damages, peat soil when done properly

• It prevents the massive carbon releases that occur during peatland wildfires

• Banning it would increase wildfire risk and eliminate critical firefighting capacity

• The land managers who practice it are our first line of defense against moorland fires

Moving forward

Achieving our shared goal of healthy, resilient uplands means supporting evidence-based management practices. That includes controlled burning alongside complementary approaches like strategic rewetting.

Our moorlands, the carbon they store, and the communities who depend on them deserve policies grounded in science, not misconceptions that could make matters dramatically worse.

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