Fuelled by Policy Failure: Swaledale Wildfire Was Avoidable

The video, images and text below were posted on Facebook by the Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group on 5th April 2025.

Have you ever wondered what effect poor government policy can have on rural landscapes? Look no further. This is a wildfire incident that occurred on Friday evening in Swaledale. The plot is a Site of Special Scientific Interest designated because of the ancient native junipers that cloak a patch of hillside between a public road and the moorland edge at Harkerside.

The narrow road forms part of the Swale Trail Cycle Route and although it is generally a quiet country lane it still gets a sizeable volume of traffic especially during the tourist season.

So why did government policy enacted by Natural England have any bearing on this fire? Well, the site not only contains the much valued juniper bushes it is also densely covered in bracken and we mean A LOT OF BRACKEN! The bracken has grown so tall and invasive in some parts that it is actually killing the junipers.

When the fronds of bracken die back in autumn they lay over the junipers creating a mat of vegetation. When it snows these decaying fronds allow snow to build up on the junipers causing many branches to break or snap off entirely. There are multiple dead junipers at the site that have suffered this fate already.

The problem has been reported to Natural England for years and requests made by the land agent on behalf of the landowner to permit some control of the brackens not only to prevent further damage to the junipers but also to remove increasing fuel loads that were accumulating on the road side.

All requests were declined and the problem dismissed out of hand. Repeated warnings were given by the gamekeepers to NE that the site was becoming a serious fire hazard and that it was only a matter of time before a fire broke out causing significant damage to the SSSI area. All warnings ignored.

The problem is folks, is that bracken control EVERYWHERE is now discouraged by government policy. With the removal of the licence by DEFRA to permit the use of the appropriate bracken controlling chemical Asulox (aka Asulam) and with the blunt refusal by NE to permit any sort of control on this SSSI the images below are the consequences. They were predicted time and time again but dismissed. Various alternative methods of controlling the bracken at this site had failed.

Crushing, horses with chains and poles, even pigs all failed to have any impact on the profusion of bracken. This fire not only destroyed a special site for wildlife it also caused over £20K pounds worth of damage to two power poles. The upper dale communities had loss of power for two hours during this wildfire which impacted homes, individuals and local businesses. Don't you think its time that NE started listening to people on the ground? We certainly do.

Finally a big thank you to local farmer Norman for spotting the fire and alerting the fire brigade and other locals. Also to his wife Anne who brought well needed refreshments to all the fire fighters. Appreciation to the two other farmers who also attended the scene and lastly to the five local gamekeepers from two estates who brought a fogging unit and their expertise to assist in extinguishing the flames.

The cause of ignition remains unknown but is suspected to have been a discarded cigarette or intensified light passing through a glass bottle. Well done to everyone for helping out. No thanks go to NE for ignoring the repeated warnings and for currently recommending less and less fuel load management with grazing and controlled burning in the uplands. Your policies are seriously wrong and here's the proof!