Fire: friend or foe?

Fire is one of the oldest and most powerful land management tools known to man. Lighting it can be easy (although not always in a frequently damp country like Scotland), but controlling it requires planning, skill and experience.

Although fire is sometimes used to remove gorse bushes and dead grass, it is the burning of heather - muirburn - which is probably best known to most people.

Muirburn is guided by the Muirburn Code   which describes both legal requirements and good practice. Those who frequent the hills, whether it be on foot or even passing through by road or rail, will be familiar with the patchwork of rough rectangles signifying grouse moors. The objective is to create a mosaic of heather patches of different ages, so that the grouse have fresh growth to eat and longer heather nearby in which to shelter.

Heather moorland is also burnt to provide fresh growth for deer and sheep. To avoid over-grazing and trampling damage it is important that the patches burnt for these are not too small.

Generally speaking, the patchwork of mixed-age heather benefits other wildlife, for example birds, insects, reptiles, as well as red grouse. However, it is important that burning does not extend too far into the spring, by which time many moorland birds are nesting, reptiles are coming out of hibernation, etc. This is one of the reasons why the muirburn season is confined to the winter months (October - mid-April).

It is also important that only appropriate habitats are burnt. Woodland and wetland areas, for example, should be avoided, although there are very special circumstances whereby woodland can benefit from fire through the preparation a good seed bed thus encouraging woodland expansion.

Given the importance now afforded to managing land to minimise the impacts of climate change, there is particular concern about the risk of fire getting into areas of deep peat which might then burn uncontrollably. Some land managers consider that the best way to reduce the risk of this happening is to burn the vegetation in these areas regularly, to avoid the build up of plant material which might catch fire and then set fire to the peat.

Others, including Scottish Natural Heritage, take the view that burning these areas is normally best avoided, thus allowing the development of wet, moss-rich areas which are less likely to burn. However, both sides of the debate agree that good research is required to help provide clearer answers.

The Muirburn Code Guidance    provides further information on managed fire in the uplands. There is also a Guide to Best Practice - Prescribed burning on Moorland: Supplement to the Muirburn Code  .