TWO wildfires in the Highlands in June were the biggest in Scotland’s history, so what areas of Scotland have elevated wildfire risk after the summer of 2025?
For several days in July in parts of northern Scotland, fire crews dealt with blazes across several locations, with the area described as being on a “vast scale”.
The affected areas included Carrbridge, Grantown-on-Spey, Dava and Upper Knockando.
And recent statistics from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service show 1574 wildfires between 2015 and the end of May this year.
The Highlands suffered most, reporting 574 fires during that period, followed by 131 in the Western Isles. That compares with just seven in Renfrewshire and Clackmannanshire.
The statistics also showed that in the first five months of 2025, Scotland saw more wildfires reported than in any other full year apart from 2017 and 2018.
'Pockets of extreme dryness'
Now, analysis released by Artio, a carbon insurance firm, has identified how reduced rain and prolonged dry spells during June and July 2025 have created pockets of extreme dryness across the country.
When combined with environmental factors, such as wind direction, these conditions significantly increase the likelihood of fire ignition by two-fold and the area that fires can spread by more than 30%.
The areas highlighted as Scotland's wildfire hotspots are:
- Halkirk/Gobernuisgeach
- Glen Affric/Drumnadrochit
- Carrbridge/Tomintoul
- Ferness/Dava
- Glenesk/Bridge of Dye
- Galloway Forest Park
Carrbridge, one of the areas identified by Artio as high-risk, has seen multiple fires in recent years.
Another high risk area is Galloway Forest Park in Dumfries and Galloway, which also saw a major fire last year.
Artio believes that Scotland, with woodland and peatland projects, can provide vital natural climate solutions to wildfires.
With nearly 30 million tonnes of CO2e emissions expected to be prevented over the lifetime of projects under the Woodland and Peatland Carbon Code schemes, Scotland has emerged as the UK’s leading hub for nature-based and engineered carbon projects.
Bilal Hussain, co-founder and CEO at Artio, said: “Scotland plays a pivotal role in the UK’s carbon ecosystem, with its woodland and peatland projects providing vital natural climate solutions. However, for these projects to succeed and deliver long-term climate benefits, they must be underpinned by robust planning and proactive management.
"By mapping where vulnerabilities are greatest, we can enable better decision-making, attract sustained investment and protect the communities that depend on them.”
