🌿 Cutting heather instead of burning isn’t simple. With peat depth rules tightened from 40cm to 30cm, estates now face huge costs in contractors, machinery & repairs. Policy makers have ignored those on the ground. 🎥 Forest of Bowland Moorland Group

🚜 Using cutting to reduce fuel load instead of controlled burning may sound simple, but it isn’t. Machinery compacts soil, reducing water storage & flood resilience, while flattening hummocks that wildlife needs. Read the science - link in comments 👇

🔥 New research challenges claims that stopping controlled burning makes peatlands wetter. Scientists say there’s no solid evidence that ending burning leads to wetter peat or less heather. In fact unmanaged moors may become drier and riskier for wildfire: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/claim-t...

🔥 Wildfires have cost the UK £460m in 2025. Insurers are pulling back, but the real answer isn’t retreat, it’s prevention. Controlled burning & local expertise reduce risk at source. Time to back those protecting our uplands: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/wildfir...

📈 Numbers of nesting hen harriers in England rises in 2025:

📜 The new Heather & Grass Management Code 2025 is here. Read our blog for the key changes land managers need to know - link in comments 👇

🕸️ A late September morning on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales with thousands of money spider webs gracing the heather stands. Insects, arachnids and other invertebrates are indicators of a healthy, vibrant habitat. 🎞️ Video courtesy of Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group.

📑 The government’s online application form for applying for a licence to burn on deep peat is now available. We've updated our essential handbook to help guide land managers through the application process. Download the latest version now - link in comments 👇

🔥 The North York Moors fire left a 10-sq-mile scar and a £26m cost. In 2025 - the UK’s worst wildfire year on record - this disaster shows why science-led land management is vital. Communities shouldn’t be the last defence. Read more - link in comments 👇

Natural England Can’t Have It Both Ways on Wildfire www.moorlandassociation.org/post/natural...

💻 Defra are due to publish their new online application form tomorrow for land managers wishing to apply for a licence to burn on peat deeper than 30cm within a less favoured area. We'll be updating our handbook with advice on how to apply once we have tested the new form.

🦉 Brood of Barn owlets making the most of the dry weather, sharpening their hunting skills as they silently scan the moorland for prey. Video courtesy of Northern Pennines Moorland Group.

🔥 Controlled heather management boosts key nutrients for wildlife and grazing animals, a new 10-year study finds. Read more about the study - link in comments 👇

Ministers have pressed ahead with new restrictions on controlled burning, despite the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) telling Defra that banning winter burns on deep peat could “inadvertently lead to increased fire loads and the risk of larger, more intense wildfires.”

💨 CO₂ emissions from UK wildfires in 2025: 1.3 million tonnes Imagine what this graph will look like once the impact of the government's new burning restrictions takes hold.

🌿 Bracken is spreading across our uplands, damaging habitats, harming biodiversity and posing risks to people and wildlife. Here, Richard Bailey shows how careful spraying and controlled burning are reversing bracken’s dominance and creating space for wildlife to flourish.

🔍 New analysis reveals worrying flaws in Natural England’s review of prescribed heather burning: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/science...

📋 Natural England’s new “consultation” isn’t listening - it’s a ratification exercise. Land managers & rural voices are excluded, questions only confirm NE’s agenda. Policies risk being shaped without those who know the land best. Link to our latest blog is in replies 👇

🗳️ Natural England is asking for feedback to help shape its future work in upland management - tell them what matters most by taking the survey: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/natural...

2025 has been the worst year on record for UK wildfires. Imagine what these numbers will look like once the impact of the government's new burning restrictions takes hold: 🔴 Area burnt: 46,000 ha 🔴 CO₂ emissions: 1.3m tonnes 🔴 PM2.5 emissions: 8,809 tonnes 🔴 Cost: £460m

🎞️Video courtesy of Forest of Bowland Moorland Group. A grey hen, captured on camera by a local gamekeeper.

📉 The UK's Bird Populations Are Crashing - But Thriving Where Gamekeepers Work:

🔥 Does rewetting peatlands really reduce wildfire risk? A major scientific review says the evidence just isn’t there. Heather thrives even in wet conditions, and stopping fuel management may actually increase fire danger. Read more - link in comments 👇

🐦 For the first time in nearly 200 years, black grouse have bred in the North York Moors. 12 chicks fledged this summer after reintroduction efforts, thanks to habitat restoration and gamekeeper support. A major step in reviving this rare Red List bird. Link in replies 👇

🌱 Fact check: A major scientific review finds no evidence that controlled burning reduces Sphagnum moss or peat formation. In fact, burning can help Sphagnum thrive by reducing dense heather cover. Discover the evidence that challenges long-held assumptions - link in comments 👇

Opinion piece in The Telegraph - Rewilding means wildfires. Environmentalists and ministers can’t ignore it: www.yahoo.com/news/article...

🔥 Fire chiefs, scientists & land managers all warned the government that new burning restrictions could make wildfires worse - yet they pressed ahead anyway. G7 leaders back burning as proven prevention, so why is Britain turning its back? Read our latest blog - link is in comments 👇

📷 Photos courtesy of Northern Pennines Moorland Group. A keeper recently recorded an incredible 184 black grouse on a circular 10 mile route, in just over an hour. These amazing numbers are a real testament to the power of good land management and responsible farming practices.

NEW BLOG: Wildfires Have Cost the UK Nearly Half a Billion Pounds in 2025 www.moorlandassociation.org/post/wildfir...

🐶 Rocky the cocker spaniel vanished on the moor - only to be found trapped in a hidden peat crevice. Thanks to local gamekeeper knowledge + mountain rescue skills, he was saved & reunited with his owner. 👏 Heroes: Dan, Peter & Tim. Video courtesy of Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group

🪶 Red grouse thrive on tough heather thanks to hidden gut microbes. A new study found 12 bacteria never recorded before that break down fibre into energy – proof of the delicate ties between grouse, heather & moorland management. Read the full blog – link in replies 👇

🔥 Heather & fire aren’t just “recent management” - evidence shows they’ve been part of UK peatlands for 6,000+ years. A major review finds this common claim unsubstantiated. Our uplands’ history is far more complex. Read the full blog - link in replies 👇

Traditional Management Boosts Biodiversity in Heathlands 🌿 A major study has confirmed what many land managers already know: traditional heathland practices help nature thrive: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/traditi...

⚠️ Natural England embraces “learning by doing” for beavers & bogs, but blocks the same approach on heather moorland. After 70years, its own reserve is still failing. Moors can’t wait decades for “gold-plated” science. We need action, not ideology. Link to blog is in replies👇

🎞️ VIDEO: Heather Burning Regulations Update We hosted an online meeting last night to discuss the new burning restrictions. It featured: - An introduction to the changes - Guidance on applying for licences - Discussion and Q&A with land managers Link to video is in replies 👇

🪶 Hen Harrier Survival: What the Numbers Really Show An RSPB study made headlines claiming that “up to three-quarters of annual Hen Harrier deaths” are due to illegal killing. But what does the data actually reveal? www.moorlandassociation.org/post/hen-har...

📸 Courtesy of Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group. The curlew, golden plover & oystercatcher rely on managed moorland. Controlled burns create the nesting & feeding habitats they need. New restrictions risk destroying these strongholds – despite moors holding 5x more red-listed species than other land.

📚 Natural England’s Evidence Review on Heather Burning: A Masterclass in Manipulation Defra’s decisions on heather burning rely heavily on a major review by Natural England, but serious questions have emerged about how that evidence was handled: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/natural...

✍️ Wildfires, Waste, and Weak Oversight: Our Letter to The Times:

🔥 Yorkshire Post Puts Wildfire Crisis Under the Spotlight The Yorkshire Post has devoted extensive coverage to the devastating wildfire that tore through ten square miles of the North York Moors this summer - the worst in over 20 years. 📲 Link to all coverage in the comments 👇

🐦 Curlew Survival Hinges on Predator Control - Read our letter to The Guardian:

Defra’s rushed heather burning rule change has created chaos. Here’s what’s now been confirmed – and why the problems are far from over: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/heather...

⚰️ After the government further restricted the ability of land managers to prevent wildfire, a new study has shows how smoke from the 2023 Canadian wildfires has killed tens of thousands across North America and Europe, with 354m people exposed to harmful air. 👉 Read summary - link in replies

⚖️ Natural England Must Not Be Both Judge and Jury on Moorland Regulation A senior NE officer helped shape policy arguments in 2022, then co-authored the “evidence” used to back them in 2025: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/natural...

Studies show that curlew are 4 times more likely to fledge chicks when predator control is in place, and that when predator control is removed, the curlew population crashes.

🤦‍♂️ Defra’s rush to rewrite the heather burning rules is already descending into chaos. Land managers have been left in the dark and even its own civil servants are confused: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/heather...

📒 New MA Handbook: Applying for a Defra Licence to Burn on Deep Peat Following the government's decision to further restrict burning, we have compiled an essential guide to help land managers apply for a licence to burn on deep peat. 👉 Download or read online - link in comments

🔥 When Evidence Turns into Ideology: Why We Must Call Out Natural England’s Bias Natural England’s so-called “neutral” review on heather burning is anything but: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/when-ev...

New Restrictions on Heather Burning - What You Need to Know: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/new-res...

Following the government's decision to ban burning on deep peat, a new study shows how proactive burning policies can reduce wildfire risk: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/proacti...