The Woodland Trust has issued a plea to summer visitors not to light fires at its countryside sites in light of the United Kingdom's recent heatwave.
During similar conditions, a devastating blaze in the summer of 2018 swept through the moorland at Smithills near Bolton, damaging a third of the 1,700 hectare site, killing around 2,000 trees and wiping out habitats.
Costs for the recovery of that fire are still ongoing some three years later and have now risen above £1 million. Whilst some birds such as curlew, snipe and golden plover have started to make a return, it could take up to 15 years for the landscape to fully recover.
Earlier this year a fire at Cave Hill in Northern Ireland damaged a large area of that site, whilst further fires have broken out at Castle Hills in Northumberland and Martinshaw in Leicestershire.
The Trust is now launching a national “love your woods” campaign which aims to encourage visitors to its woodlands and moorlands to leave no trace and help the protection of its special sites.
Barbecues and small fires have been earmarked in particular as potential hazards, as they can easily get out of control and damage habitats and wildlife.
Al Crosby, the Woodland Trust’s regional director for northern England, said: "Our sites are a wonderful place to visit with so much diversity – from mountainous Ben Shieldaig in Scotland and the moorlands of Smithills, to community woods and lowland forests towards the south of England, and everything in between.
"We of course want people to enjoy them but also to take care of them, which is why we have launched this campaign, all about recognising what’s special about these places, and how visitors can show their love for them and help us to keep them that way.
"Our key message is to people – help us to protect the precious woods and wildlife near you – please don’t light fires, it poses untold risk to people and wildlife.
"Even if people think they are in control, one minute it can soon change and the affects can be absolutely catastrophic."
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