Saddleworth moor fire effect of rewilding?

[Sid]

Given the fire on Saddleworth due to excess material on the floor getting tinder dry are we going to see more of these sorts of issues across other open areas?

Are the environmentalists such as Monbiot going to cause real issues going forward given the density of the population in the UK.

Can anyone remember a wildfire in the UK causing issues like this before?

 

[Dr. Alkathene]

The “rewilded” part of Rivington moor (where sheep and cattle have been fenced out burning by gamekeepers isn’t allowed and trees planted) is also ablaze

I don’t expect the RSPCA, RSPB, unNatural England, Environment Agency are helping put the flames out. Certainly not outside of office hours.....

 

[Sid]

The “rewilded” part of Rivington moor (where sheep and cattle have been fenced out burning by gamekeepers isn’t allowed and trees planted) is also ablaze

View attachment 686632 View attachment 686634

I don’t expect the RSPCA, RSPB, unNatural England, Environment Agency are helping put the flames out. Certainly not outside of office hours.....

Exactly.
Why isn't this reported on the news!

 

[Dr. Alkathene]

Exactly.
Why isn't this reported on the news!

For the same reasons it is not reported that badgers eat hedgehogs. In the case of Rivington I wonder if the local MP and councillors who campaigned and pulled strings to help get it designated as a SSSI are also up there beating the flames.....

 

[Pilatus]

The “rewilded” part of Rivington moor (where sheep and cattle have been fenced out burning by gamekeepers isn’t allowed and trees planted) is also ablaze

View attachment 686632 View attachment 686634

I don’t expect the RSPCA, RSPB, unNatural England, Environment Agency are helping put the flames out. Certainly not outside of office hours.....

Or George Monbiot or Chris Packham

 

[Spud]

Its what happens when over educated clipboard operators think they know best, and ignore the opinion of those with decades of experience. No one seems to consider the longer term consequences of their idealistic veiws any more.

 

[Skimmer]

The “rewilded” part of Rivington moor (where sheep and cattle have been fenced out burning by gamekeepers isn’t allowed and trees planted) is also ablaze

View attachment 686632 View attachment 686634

I don’t expect the RSPCA, RSPB, unNatural England, Environment Agency are helping put the flames out. Certainly not outside of office hours.....

They have got to stop in the office to work out which farming or game keeping policy it is to blame for starting the fire and what further restrictions need to be put in place.

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

The “rewilded” part of Rivington moor (where sheep and cattle have been fenced out burning by gamekeepers isn’t allowed and trees planted) is also ablaze

View attachment 686632 View attachment 686634

I don’t expect the RSPCA, RSPB, unNatural England, Environment Agency are helping put the flames out. Certainly not outside of office hours.....

They most certainly arnt. A lot of my good friends farm the moors here and now it’s spread to Glossop it’s causing major issues. A lot of lads have been doing their hardest to get gathered up but the detestation is unreal. The smoke has engulfed my ground at least three times now and a lot of houses eventuates where it’s at its worst. Nothing will change, they never learn and don’t want to hear it from us, those moors have been mostly empty for ten years now so this was inevitable.

An amazing job being done by the firefighters mind, working tirelessly and they keep going even though it looks like it’ll have to naturally burn out. Real bad do and set of deliberately by some tossers that broke into my mates ground on bikes, do hope they get caught

 

[Lili]

They most certainly arnt. A lot of my good friends farm the moors here and now it’s spread to Glossop it’s causing major issues. A lot of lads have been doing their hardest to get gathered up but the detestation is unreal. The smoke has engulfed my ground at least three times now and a lot of houses eventuates where it’s at its worst. Nothing will change, they never learn and don’t want to hear it from us, those moors have been mostly empty for ten years now so this was inevitable.

An amazing job being done by the firefighters mind, working tirelessly and they keep going even though it looks like it’ll have to naturally burn out. Real bad do and set of deliberately by some tossers that broke into my mates ground on bikes, do hope they get caught

It's frightening how quickly a fire spreads. Hope everything gets under control soon.

 

[exmoor dave]

This is exactly why proper moorland management using winter burns and also cutting where necessary is so important.
And of course sufficient livestock to keep the moor grazed to a appropriate level.

Loads of moors are currently covered in mature heather and low dense gorse that will just go full on wildfire in no time at all if sparked up in the summer

 

[Gator]

Same here on our moor, United Utilities used to burn all the dead malinier grass off every year, stopped all the dead grass from clogging the feeder channels that feed the reservoirs.
Now the powers that be say that's a big no no. And they call this progress..
rubbish

 

[Dry Rot]

Anyone remember the late Dick Balharry, head of the Nature Conservancy up here in the north? He started his career as a gamekeeper and had a very practical attitude to conservation.

He once remarked to me that things were getting so bad that they'd have to sit down and have a committee meeting to decide whether a moorland fire was 'natural" (i.e. started by lightening strike or similar natural event) or by humans before trying to put it out! And that was a few decades ago! If natural, a lot thought it should be left to Nature and to run it's course!

 

[Pilatus]

They most certainly arnt. A lot of my good friends farm the moors here and now it’s spread to Glossop it’s causing major issues. A lot of lads have been doing their hardest to get gathered up but the detestation is unreal. The smoke has engulfed my ground at least three times now and a lot of houses eventuates where it’s at its worst. Nothing will change, they never learn and don’t want to hear it from us, those moors have been mostly empty for ten years now so this was inevitable.

An amazing job being done by the firefighters mind, working tirelessly and they keep going even though it looks like it’ll have to naturally burn out. Real bad do and set of deliberately by some tossers that broke into my mates ground on bikes, do hope they get caught

I am sure we are very sorry to hear how this fire is effecting you and your neighbours.
Thanks for posting from on the spot at this difficult time for you all.

 

[7610 super q]

99.9% started by dick heids too.

 

[Dr. Alkathene]

99.9% started by dick heids too.

Rivington is thought to have been started by some idiots with a disposable bbq on Sunday

 

[exmoor dave]

Anyone remember the late Dick Balharry, head of the Nature Conservancy up here in the north? He started his career as a gamekeeper and had a very practical attitude to conservation.

He once remarked to me that things were getting so bad that they'd have to sit down and have a committee meeting to decide whether a moorland fire was 'natural" (i.e. started by lightening strike or similar natural event) or by humans before trying to put it out! And that was a few decades ago! If natural, a lot thought it should be left to Nature and to run it's course!

Watching it on tv,

Providing they can get any livestock out the way, surely they'd be better looking at a map, pick out the natural breaks like streams and good places to cut breaks which can then be watered down then let the fire burn to these points rather than sending firemen in to waist hight gorse with beaters.

 

[Pilatus]

Anyone remember the late Dick Balharry, head of the Nature Conservancy up here in the north? He started his career as a gamekeeper and had a very practical attitude to conservation.

He once remarked to me that things were getting so bad that they'd have to sit down and have a committee meeting to decide whether a moorland fire was 'natural" (i.e. started by lightening strike or similar natural event) or by humans before trying to put it out! And that was a few decades ago! If natural, a lot thought it should be left to Nature and to run it's course!

There would be very little forest left in Alaska or Northern Canada if they adopted that principle ffs

 

[milkloss]

I feel quite naive because I know very little about moors and the farming that goes on or used to happen on them. Part of me saw the news and thought to let them burn and it might teach the greenies a lesson but since reading this post I realise how wrong that is.

Hope all you guys round there stay safe and when you get back on your feet I think a bit of shouting from rooftops is required.

 

[Grassman]

It's the same where we are. Most of the livestock have been taken off the moors. Vast areas covered in tinder dry plant material is just a disaster waiting to happen. Why dont they fence off strips and graze to create fire breaks?

 

[Fallowfield]

They have got to stop in the office to work out which farming or game keeping policy it is to blame for starting the fire and what further restrictions need to be put in place.

Whereas the real experts have already decided that the RSPB, George Monbiot and Chris Packham are to blame.