The England & Wales Wildfire Forum: Meeting in Wrexham


The England & Wales Wildfire Forum met in Wrexham today, and it was valuable that the Scottish Wildfire Forum was represented at the meeting by the chairman, Bruce Farquharson from Scottish Fire & Rescue Service. This helped to support my view that wildfire requires a UK-wide approach, and the developing interest from Northern Ireland in the work of both Forums is also very welcome.

We covered a lot of ground during the meeting, including the confirmation that the next UK wildfire conference will be held in South Wales in November 2019. The South Wales Fire & Rescue Service has agreed to host the conference and the theme will be based on management for wildfire. In an effort to reach a wider audience, consideration will be given to organising some local / regional events in advance to provide a connection to people who might not want to attend the conference.

We agreed that it is too early in this late spring to be turning our backs on wildfire for the year, as there is still plenty of time for wildfires to occur before the moorland vegetation ’greens up’, effectively reducing the chances of wildfire. To reinforce this point, I picked upon this press report about a ‘giant’ wildfire in Cornwall on the way home. It may have been a low-key wildfire season this year, but there has been a steady flow of incidents; there is never room for complacency.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wildfire & Muirburn: manage the fuel, reduce the risk

Image
I am giving this presentation on 8th October in Seil Island Hall, to the south of Oban.  Although not exactly on a main thoroughfare (you have to cross the 'Bridge over the Atlantic' to get onto the island), the meeting promises to be well attended. I have borrowed the title from the  UK Wildfire Conference  that is taking place in Cardiff, 20th-21st November.  Many of the points I will be making will be a rehearsal for the discussion I expect to take place during the conference, but I suspect that with 'wildfire' and 'muirburn' sharing the title, there will be no shortage of discussion. For tickets, please contact the Talks Convenor at  LNHG .
Read more

Asulox for Bracken Control 2022

Image
It has taken longer than hoped for, but we have an emergency authorisation (EA) to use Asulox for bracken control in 2022.  Full details are on the Bracken Control Group's website . With the application period starting on 1st July, the industry is having to move fast to get the product distributed and the aerial spray permits in place to allow the helicopters to fly. Within the EA application for this year, which I submitted on behalf of the Bracken Control Group, I included a request for the application process to be reviewed.  After 10 years of submitting applications, it is is difficult to come up with additional information each year to justify a further approval, and since submitting the first application for the 2013 season, much has changed; perhaps the most significant factors have been leaving Europe and the increasing concerns about the endocrine disruptor (see note below) status of pesticides, including asulam. The brinkmanship and uncertainty surrounding the approv...
Read more

Wildfire is not a future problem: it is already here

Image
The wildfire threat is not recognised in all quarters.     I made this point as part of a presentation at an All-Party Parliamentary Group meeting organised by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust in Westminster on Tuesday. As chairman of the England & Wales Wildfire Form, I had been asked to give the presentation to highlight the approach to wildfire being promoted by the Forum, following the wildfires of 2018.  Other speakers at the meeting were Professor Rob Marrs (University of Liverpool, President of The Heather Trust) and Clifton Bain (Director of the IUCN UK Peatland Programme).  Despite our varied backgrounds and interests, there was a high degree of unanimity amongst the speakers. I was grateful for the support of EWWF members at the meeting, which included the chairman of the Scottish Wildfire Forum, two Wildfire Tactical Advisors and a representative of the Forestry Commission. I mentioned that wildfire should be seen...
Read more