Defra ‘literally playing with fire’ over wildfire policy-making, says expert

A professor, part of a 20 year study by the University of York into the effects of burning, mowing and leaving peatland unmanaged, said Defra is “literally playing with fire” in its policy-making.

Associate Professor, Andreas Heinemeyer from The Stockholm Environment Institute, is leading the longest study into heathlands, which is 14 years in.

Research he did prior to the Langdale Fire has now become very relevant.

Ass Prof Heinemeyer had recorded soil moisture in research plots of peat. He found managed plots were dryer, but in one to two years got wetter, and unmanaged plots got drier and drier.

He explained: “The more vegetation you have, it transpires more water. Where does that come from? It comes from peat and makes it drier.

“My short term focus now is publishing that data, we have submitted our manuscripts. They are really important for informing policy.

"There is a lot happening now and it is so important to provide evidence.

“I did not expect to see at the beginning this shift in focus.

"Wildfire was not so commonplace but we recognised the issue of letting things grow, reducing management of fuel load with policy around controlled burning, increasing fuel load and it being when, not if, fires will accelerate.”

He says Defra’s decision to “effectively ban” controlled burning is based on mis-information rather than evidence, and has called for the government to bring experts together to reassess its position.

Ass Prof Heinemeyer said: “It does not matter if you rewet or rewild, things are dry and they will burn. The policy by Defra is literally playing with fire.

"We are in a situation where controlled burning has effectively been banned - on no robust evidence whatsoever and that is frightening.

“The idea you leave land alone, rewet and rewild and it will be fine - it will not be fine. Look across the globe, there is only evidence that is not the case.

"We should pause this policy and bring experts together and reassess.”

He also expressed concern about brash leftovers from re-wilding and cutting and it being a habitat for increasing numbers of ticks which carry diseases.

Emotions about land ownership, inequality, perceptions about rich people not caring has “been put into one big pot of soup and boiled to the point where you can’t argue against it”, he added.