Scotland's Wildfire Warriors: Battling Flames and Boosting Nature's Defenses

In the Cairngorms of Scotland, a massive wildfire recently burned for over a month, leaving behind a blackened landscape and a strong smell of smoke. Even after the main fire was put out, small patches of burning ground keep appearing, making it difficult for workers to fully control the situation. Ben Oliver-Jones, who manages the Abernethy nature reserve for RSPB Scotland, compares the effort to a game of whack-a-mole, as new hot spots show up every day. Reserve staff, estate workers, and firefighters have all been working together to put out these fires and prevent them from spreading further.

The wildfire destroyed more than 2,500 hectares of moorland and forest, which is about 10 square miles. The fire was so intense that an entire village had to be evacuated, and smoke could be seen and smelled as far as 60 miles away in Aberdeen. The Abernethy reserve is managed for ecological restoration, which means helping nature recover and thrive. Some people worry that this approach, sometimes called rewilding, makes the land more likely to have uncontrollable fires. However, the RSPB disagrees and is making several changes to improve wildfire prevention.

One of the main changes is making fire breaks wider. Fire breaks are clear areas with no plants that help stop fires from spreading. In some places, strong winds caused flames to jump over these gaps, so experts now say fire breaks need to be much wider. The reserve is using machines to clear plants from the sides of forest tracks, hoping that this will make it harder for fires to spread. Over time, insects and plants are expected to return to these cleared areas.

Another important step is creating more ponds and wet areas around the reserve. These can be used as sources of water to fight fires. For example, a small fire in June was put out using water from a pond that was made to help rare dragonflies. The reserve is also working to raise water levels in bogs and create new wet areas, which can help stop fires from spreading, especially in peatlands. Peat is a type of soil that can burn underground, but if it stays wet, it can act as a natural defense against fire.

Managing the amount of plants that can burn is also important. Some estates use controlled burning, called muirburn, to reduce the amount of vegetation that could catch fire. The Scottish government is introducing licenses for muirburn to make sure it is done in an environmentally friendly way. At the Abernethy reserve, they use cattle to eat and trample the plants, which helps reduce the fuel for fires. In other areas, machines are used to cut and mulch the grass, gorse, bracken, and heather.

The reserve is also planning to plant more broadleaved trees, such as alder, rowan, aspen, and birch. These trees have more moisture in them and are less likely to burn than pine trees, which contain flammable resins. While Scots pines are an important part of the ancient Caledonian forest, adding more broadleaved trees could help make the forest more resistant to fire.

Experts say that there is no single solution to stopping wildfires, but having several layers of defense is important. The Cairngorms National Park Authority has introduced rules to prevent campfires and barbecues during the summer, which has helped reduce the number of fires started by people. Wildfires are not a problem every year, but with climate change, longer dry periods could make them more common. Land managers with different views are now working together to find the best ways to prevent wildfires and protect the countryside for the future.