There are lessons to be learnt from devastating wildfires, says Cairngorms National Park Authority
The Cairngorms National Park Authority is to hold talks with partners aimed at learning lessons from last week’s devastating wildfires.
Reports of a fire on the A939 near Dava were first received by the emergency services at around 4.05pm on Saturday June 28.
Dozens of firefighters tackled the blazes - now thought to be the largest ever in Scotland - supported by volunteers and waterbombing by a helicopter.
The size of the area damaged by the wildfires is estimated at around 7,500 hectares – equivalent to 10,500 football pitches.
A Cairngorms National Park Authority spokesperson said: "We understand and share the concerns of local residents around the threat of wildfires in the national park and the wider area.
“Adapting to the impacts of a changing climate, from flooding to drought and wildfire, is becoming an increasingly large part of our work and we are committed to working with partners across the national park to keep our communities and wildlife safe.
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"Over the past year we have developed the UK's first Integrated Wildfire Management Plan to promote collaboration between land managers, public agencies and others to prevent wildfires from starting and mitigate impacts; funded equipment and training for wildfire management through our Climate Adaptation Fund; and approved a fire management byelaw which - if approved by Scottish Ministers - will ban open fires and barbecues within the national park from 1 April to 30 September.
"There are also more rangers than ever patrolling the national park, extinguishing campfires and making sure that visitors and residents out in the national park enjoy the countryside responsibly.
“No doubt there are more things to think about and learn after this wildfire and we will be speaking to partners over the coming weeks to ensure we capture this information.
"No organisation or individual can tackle the issue of wildfire alone but recent events have shown how important partnership working is in tackling these threats.
“Once again, we pay tribute to the firefighters, gamekeepers, estate staff, farmers and many others who helped bring the recent fires under control."
