Without Controlled Burning, Who Will Fight the Next Major Wildfire?

Did you know that 79% of employees involved in containing this summer’s Carrbridge and Dava wildfire, Scotland’s biggest ever wildfire, had experience with controlled burning? This is highly significant, as it highlights a direct link between traditional moorland management practices and effective wildfire response capabilities.

This experience provided the necessary skills, knowledge, and familiarity with fire to meaningfully engage in suppression efforts.

A survey of the land-based and rural businesses that responded to the Carrbridge and Dava wildfires found that at least 101 employees were engaged in the containment effort. Of those, 80 employees (79%) had direct experience using fire for land management. This breaks down into 67 employees who had completed an approved burning training course and a further 13 who had practical experience but no formal training.

To Fight Fire, You Must First Understand It

This high percentage of experienced personnel is not a coincidence but rather a direct result of land management practices, particularly on estates managed for red grouse.

Burning is a traditional and vital tool used by gamekeepers and land managers to reduce fuel loads, create firebreaks, and manage heather for biodiversity and grazing. This routine, skilled use of "cool burning" provides invaluable hands-on training that is directly applicable to wildfire suppression.

The contribution of these experienced individuals was a critical part of the overall response by land-based businesses, which was widely acknowledged as integral to bringing the fires under control. These businesses, including 27 estates, provided not only skilled people but also specialist equipment often purchased for burning operations, such as ATVs and fogging units.

The Unintended Consequence of Government Policy

The availability of this skilled workforce is directly tied to the continuation of controlled burning as a land management practice. There is real concern that increasing restrictions on controlled burning could compromise the skills and resources that proved essential in fighting the Carrbridge and Dava fires.

• Skills Retention: A majority of those who responded to the wildfires had a familiarity with fire in controlled contexts, giving them the requisite skills for the containment effort. Further restrictions, such as the government’s introduction of new rules around burning on deep peat, are expected to reduce burning activity, which may in turn affect the retention of these critical skills.

• Resource Investment: Landholdings that are unable to conduct burning are less likely to invest in the specialist firefighting equipment, like ATVs and fogging units, that were crucial during the wildfires.

• Fuel Load Management: Many respondents to the wildfire survey credited fuel load management, often achieved through burning, for making containment easier. Policies that limit burning could lead to an accumulation of flammable vegetation, increasing the risk of more intense and uncontrollable wildfires in the future.

The statistic that 79% of responding employees had experience in using controlled burning underscores the vital, and perhaps undervalued, contribution of traditional moorland management to national wildfire preparedness. This skilled workforce, along with their specialized equipment, represents a significant "no-cost firefighting support" system that complements official emergency services.

Any policy changes that restrict practices like controlled burning are likely to have direct implications not only for fuel load management and biodiversity but also for the future availability of the experienced personnel who are critical in responding to wildfire emergencies.

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