A ground-nesting birds nest destroyed by fire
The wildfire that devastated Winter Hill in Lancashire in 2018, burned for three weeks, over 7 square miles, and is estimated to have released 95,000 tonnes of CO2 – equivalent to the annual emissions of 21,000 cars.
Whilst wildfires can occur in several habitats, the most frequent and damaging are on peatlands. In our region sadly we experience wildfires on both upland and lowland peatlands, but probably the most recognisable are those that blight our blanket bog covered upland moors.
Fire in progress on Darwen Moor. Image by Alan Wright
Unfortunately, the majority of wildfires are caused by humans. In a study of peatland wildfires between 2002-2018, 77 per cent were classed as deliberate (arson), with 23 per cent being accidental. These wildfires can result from purposeful ignition, campfires, barbeques, cigarette litter, and land management burns getting out of control.
There is also evidence from the Peak District that wildfires are more frequent near to roads and footpaths, and especially at weekends, and school and bank holidays.
Climate change is also exacerbating the frequency and severity of wildfires. Increasing temperatures and changes to rainfall patterns are leading to longer periods of drought, which provide the perfect conditions for wildfires to take hold.
Carbon release
Healthy peatlands are huge carbon stores. However, during wildfires this carbon is burnt and released into the atmosphere. The 2018 wildfire at Winter Hill released 95,000 tonnes of CO2, and a similar wildfire at Saddleworth Moor in Yorkshire in the same year was estimated to have released 37,598t - 46,081t CO2 – equivalent to 27,000 home’s electricity use for one year.
A ground-nesting birds nest destroyed by fire
Habitat loss
Our upland peatlands are home to lots of amazing wildlife, but those particularly susceptible to wildfires include invertebrates, small mammals and ground nesting birds. Curlew, lapwing, golden plover, dunlin, snipe, and many other species are at serious risk when wildfire strikes.
A good news story came from Northern Ireland in 2020 when peatland fires on the shores of Loch Neagh threatened two clutches of endangered curlew eggs. The eggs were rescued, transferred to an incubator and the chicks later released onto the RSPB’s Portmore Lough nature reserve. There was a happy ending this time, but untold numbers of species are lost to wildfires every year.
Air pollution
Wildfires are a significant cause of atmospheric pollution. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, inhalable particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds are all released during wildfires. Following the 2018 Saddleworth Moor wildfire atmospheric pollution was detected up to 80km away from the fire, and it was found that 4.5 million people were exposed to particulate matter concentrations higher than the World Health Organisation’s guidelines.
Human effects
The response to the devastating 2018 Winter Hill wildfire by Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service is estimated to have cost £1.2 million. Other costs include loss of infrastructure, such as overhead cables and fencing (an estimated £75,000 of fencing was lost during the Saddleworth Moor wildfire), and the loss of previous restoration works. Not to mention the risk of harm to the firefighters tackling the blazes.
Re-wet blanket bog at RSPB Dovestone - credit Jenny Bennion, Lancashire Wildlife Trust
How can we reduce wildfire risk?
Restore our peatlands
Restoring and re-wetting peatlands significantly reduces the risk of wildfires. However, many of our peatlands are drained and degraded which results in the domination of combustible vegetation such as heather and purple moor grass, which along with the dried peat beneath means that fires can take hold quickly and burn deeply. Re-wetting our peatlands by restoring their naturally high water table and revegetating with water-holding sphagnum mosses significantly increases their fire resilience. Quite simply – wet peat doesn’t burn.
Restoring our peatlands also reduces the greenhouse gas emissions released from degraded peat which are contributing to climate change, which is then causing more of the hot and dry weather conditions in which wildfires become prevalent.
Education
Spreading the word about the dangers of wildfires and encouraging the safe use of our peatlands is also incredibly important. Campaigns to ban single-use barbeques and to discourage people from lighting campfires are vital, along with ensuring that wildfires are spotted quickly so that they can be tackled before getting out of control.
To help protect our peatlands:
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