Yorkshire’s moorland fires are on the rise this summer, but could smarter land management reduce the danger? BBC spoke with peatland expert Andreas Heinemeyer, who explains why controlled heather growth, diverse (i.e., controlled burning or cutting) landscape management, and realistic wildfire strategies matter.
Yorkshire moors
Photo: Andy Crane / Unsplash
Yorkshire has faced moorland fires this summer, with the most recent outbreak at Langdale Moor in the North York Moors National Park.
Andreas Heinemeyer, Senior Research Fellow at SEI York and Associate Professor at the University of York, spoke with the BBC about moorland management and wildfire risks.
Wildfires will happen, but managed heather will dramatically reduce their impact and allow easier control.
Andreas Heinemeyer, Senior Research Fellow, SEI York
Andreas stressed that fires are inevitable, but experts must focus on managing the landscape for everyone’s benefit. Misinformation, he warned, is leaving the heather moorlands dangerously vulnerable. Every site is different and requires avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach.
A mosaic of management with different heather growth stages and vegetation composition will be more diverse.
Andreas Heinemeyer, Senior Research Fellow, SEI York
Andreas has dedicated over 15 years to research on peatlands as an Associate Professor at the University of York, with expertise in plant–soil carbon interactions, land management, and climate change within the framework of ecosystem ecology. He has directed projects concerning peatland management, biodiversity conservation, water quality, and carbon cycling, among others.
For further information on heather management on peatlands, please see the latest summary and publication.
Project / Investigates different management possibilities of heather dominated blanket bog vegetation & their impact on biodiversity, carbon sequestration and water.
Project / A Community Science Project in the Peak District National Park and surrounding areas.
Project / Using innovative technologies we are investigating new methods to measure and monitor soil organic carbon stocks quickly and at scale.
Feature / Long term research is required to understand the true impacts of different peatland management techniques.
Feature / Andreas Heinemeyer contributed to a recent briefing for the UK parliament, drawing on his expertise in peatland management.
Other publication / The study examined the evidence gap regarding alternatives to burn-rotation management of heather dominated UK blanket bog on carbon, water and biodiversity.
