Environment & Climate

RSPB Scotland plans land management changes following Cairngorms wildfire

The charity is expanding fire breaks and restoring wetlands after a major blaze destroyed more than 2,500 hectares of moorland and forest.

Updated Aug 25, 2026 · 22:18 UTC1 reports

The short version

RSPB Scotland is introducing new land management practices at the Abernethy nature reserve after a five-week wildfire burned over 2,500 hectares of land in the Cairngorms.
The planned measures include widening fire breaks, creating ponds and raising water tables, using cattle grazing and machinery to control heather fuel loads, and planting broadleaved trees.
The blaze prompted Scotland's chief fire officer to request a formal fire safety regime for rural areas, while Scottish ministers move forward with licensing controlled heather burning.
Landowners and researchers note that long-term academic studies on UK wildfire behavior remain sparse, creating debate over which prevention strategies are most effective.

A wildfire in the Cairngorms burned for more than a month, destroying over 2,500 hectares of moorland and forest and forcing a village evacuation.[BBC News]
RSPB Scotland plans to make wider fire breaks, create more ponds, manage fuel loads with cattle grazing and machinery, and plant broadleaved trees alongside traditional Scots pine at its Abernethy nature reserve.[BBC News]
Scotland's chief fire officer called in an open letter for improved wildfire planning and a formal, proportionate fire safety regime.[BBC News]
The Scottish government is finalizing a licensing regime for muirburn, which is the controlled burning of heather on moorland.[BBC News]
Following an April bylaw by the Cairngorms National Park Authority banning summer fires and barbecues, recorded instances fell to 36 from 94 during the same period the previous year.[BBC News]

Land managers and experts disagree on whether rewilded land increases wildfire risk and whether controlled burning or mechanical cutting and grazing is the superior method for managing fuel loads.[BBC News]
Estate owner Michael Bruce states that UK academic research and modeling on wildfire behavior has lacked long-term consistency, leaving the effectiveness of specific land management changes unproven.[BBC News]