Wildfire hits the Peak District on 'rewetted' land, proving once again there is no substitute for removing surface vegetation.

Across the country people have been cheering what has been reported as ‘the first signs of spring’.  And yet, after just a few days of warmer weather, the Peak District has had its first wildfire of the year.

The fire broke out on Crowden Holmes Moss, owned by the country’s leading water polluter, United Utilities. 

United Utilities work in collaboration with the RSPB across the country, with many critics accusing the RSPB of simply greenwashing the water company’s appalling pollution record.

As part of their collaboration United Utilities have, in many places, adopted a land management policy of ‘rewetting’, along with a number of other conservation organisations.

This has been done in the misconstrued belief that rewetting the ground will prevent wildfire. These groups have spent millions on rewetting programs, and millions more on planting sphagnum moss plugs, including on Crowden Holmes Moss. 

Despite this investment from the public purse, as this latest fire once again showed, rewetting is not enough to prevent wildfires. Footage taken following the fire demonstrate just how wet the moor was when it went up in flames, and also just how wet it remained after the fire. 

Rewetting has a role to play, but without the necessary removal of the fuel load, it will not stop the wildfires ripping through the vegetation. 

Fortunately, the brilliant local fire and rescue service from Glossop were able to swiftly get this fire under control, however many previous wildfires across rewetted land have caused far more lasting damage. 

As global temperatures continue to rise, if this country is to avoid a future where wildfires decimate biodiversity and the environment, we must heed the lessons of other countries and manage our fuel loads effectively with controlled burning.