People are being warned not to take barbecues on to Winter Hill amid fears of a repeat of the catastrophic wildfires of two years ago.
The moorland is yet to fully recover from the devastating inferno which raged for 41 days in the summer of 2018.
A major project will see more than 100,000 trees planted on a section of the moor, north of Bolton, over the next few years.
But a series of recent fires in the area, along with the dry weather, have prompted fears that the progress could be undone.
Tracey Garrett manages the Woodland Trust owned Smithills Estate site, where the trees are set to be planted as part of the government's Northern Forest initiative to plant 50 million trees from Liverpool to Hull.
She said: “We urge people not to have BBQs on our Smithills Estate.
"The ground is very dry at the moment and we want to avoid the catastrophic fires which ripped through the estate two years ago – damaging a third of the site and devastating wildlife.
"The site is still on the long road to recovery and we need to continue to nurture the unique mosaic of moorland, peatland, upland grassland and woodland.”
The warning comes as huge blaze, thought to have been started by a discarded barbecue, continues to tear through moorland north of Bolton.
The blaze has been raging at the scene, off Bolton Road, in Darwen, since about 6pm last night (Saturday).
Earlier in the day, firefighters also battled a blaze on Winter Hill. At its height, one hectare of grass was on fire near the Winter Hill transmitting station
In March, around 40 firefighters were called to the hill to tackle a fire believed to have been started by a barbecue. It took crews hours to bring the flames under control.
But just weeks later, a pair of teenagers were spotted having a barbecue on the hill.
The incidents have left many fearing a repeat of 2018.
When firefighters finally managed to bring the blaze under control after several weeks, it had destroyed everything in its path and left an area larger than 2,500 football pitches completely scorched.
Plant life was decimated and the only animals left were those quick enough to flee from the oncoming flames.
Experts estimate it could take a decade for the habitats in the area to fully recuperate from the devastating impact of the fire.
But, thanks to the mammoth effort of thousands of volunteers, it could now be the site of a completely new habitat not seen on those hills for 10,000 years.
It is hoped that 130,000 saplings will be planted on the 1,700-acre Smithills Estate site, which stretches from the Winter Hill TV mast to the historic Smithills Hall, before 2024.
Throughout 2019, the trust organised mass plantings which saw thousands of volunteers descend on the area and begin to sow seeds of new trees.
